Beef brewing over vrot meat

The SA government seems to be adopting a wait-and-see approach to the scandal around tainted meat exports which has rocked Brazil.

The South African government seems to be taking a wait-and-see approach to the scandal around tainted meat exports which has rocked Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of meat.

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (Daff) yesterday said it has requested the Brazilian authorities to provide official information after media reports that unsafe meat had been exported to various countries, possibly including South Africa.

According to media reports, a total of 21 meat processing plants in Brazil had been closed down and at least 30 people arrested after a two-year police investigation revealed widespread corruption in the Brazilian meat export market where inspectors were bribed to issue fake certificates for rotten produce.

China and Hong Kong, Brazil’s largest export markets, immediately banned all meat imports from the country following the reports.

Figures released by the South African Poultry Association show that South Africa imported 233 787 tons of poultry from Brazil in 2016. In January this year poultry imports from Brazil amounted to 21 027 tons.

The Daff yesterday said it is not known how many consignments of poultry may have already left Brazil and are on the way to South Africa.

“However, the department is in the process of ensuring that the establishments implicated are suspended from exporting meat to the country until the Brazilian Veterinary Authority has fully investigated the matter and can give the necessary assurances for compliance to the South African requirements for importation of meat into the country.

“Officials from the department at all ports of entry which receive meat have been instructed to test every container of meat from Brazil.”

Consignments arriving at the ports of entry in South Africa must be tested for, among other things, salmonella.

The department assured South African consumers that officials at ports of entry have always been vigilant on meat imports from any country to ensure compliance with sanitary requirements which are put in place to protect both the consumers and animals against food safety hazards and animal diseases respectively.

When contacted for comment on the matter, Agri SA’s designate executive director, Omri van Zyl, said he was not aware of the reports. –