Brazil seeks to calm fears over meat scandal

Brazil’s president has met ambassadors from countries that import the country’s meat, seeking to minimise damage from a major corruption probe.

Meatpackers are alleged to have bribed dozens of inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market.

Speaking at the presidential palace, President Michel Temer told the diplomats that Brazil’s “government wants to reiterate its confidence in the quality of our national product”.

Mr Temer set up the meeting following inquiries from the European Union and China over the scandal.

Police issued 38 arrest warrants involving the giant meatpackers JBS and BRF in a blow to Brazil’s reputation as one of the world’s leading meat producers.

The president said that only 33 of the 11,000 inspectors at the agriculture ministry are being investigated for allegedly taking bribes to overlook meatpackers using chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meat.

Some of the bad meat was exported to Europe, investigators have said.

Mr Temer told the ambassadors the ministry would soon release a list of countries that could have received rotten meat as well as the name of the meatpackers responsible.

His office said it wanted to reiterate that packing plants are open to inspection by nations that buy Brazilian meats.

Authorities say that out of the 4,800 meatpacking facilities subject to federal inspection in Brazil, 21 are under investigation, including units of the two big companies JBS and BRF.

Police said on Friday the two-year investigation had discovered that part of the money allegedly paid by JBS and BRF was channelled to two of Brazil’s major political parties, including Mr Temer’s.

In the wake of the meat concerns, Europe’s umbrella farming unions Copa and Cogeca underlined the importance of ensuring that imports to the EU meet EU safety standards and that animal traceability conditions are met.

Talking in Brussels, Copa and Cogeca secretary-general Pekka Pesonen said: “We have some of the highest food safety and animal welfare standards in the world which imports to the EU must meet, otherwise our safety standards will be compromised.”