Mad cow in Brazil, export blockade in China

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Two cases of mad cow disease in Brazil trigger an export freeze in China, where nearly half of the world’s top beef producer’s exports go. (1)

Prions (pathogens) were identified on animal carcasses processed in plants in two states of the Brazilian federation, Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, about 1,500 km apart.

Meanwhile, in Italy, a decree guaranteeing information on the origin of meat in restaurants has been awaited for years.

Mad cow disease in Brazil, two ‘atypical’ cases

The Brazilian government, on 3.9.21, reported this was the fourth and fifth cases of mad cow disease detected in Brazil in the past 23 years. Alleging that it would be an ‘atypical’ form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of spontaneous origin, i.e., independent of the administration of contaminated meat meal (2,3).

The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) laboratory in Alberta, Canada, reportedly confirmed the presence of spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in meat samples tested on 2.9.21. The Brasilia government, in reporting this, asserts the absence of ‘any risk to animal or human health.’ Statement that appears, at the very least, premature. (4)

Brazilian beef, export blockade to China

Chinese beef imports from Brazil experienced record growth, +76 percent in 2020 over the previous year, to 43 percent of Brazilian beef exports. (5) This phenomenon can be explained by the shortage of pork in the most populous country on the planet due to theAfrican Swine Fever (ASW, African Swine Fever. See footnote 6) that forced the elimination of half of the country’s approximately 440 million livestock raised, and to the sharp devaluation of the real, the Brazilian currency, in 2020.

China-where regulations to guard food safety have been strengthened significantly, over the past two decades (7)-immediately suspended meat imports from Brazil. A precautionary and dutiful emergency measure, which should also be followed immediately by the European Commission. With good memory of the crisis that engulfed the meat sector in the Old Continent a quarter century ago, precisely because of BSE.

Brazilian meats, what costs?

The globalization of exploitation of ecosystems, local communities robbed of their lands and workers has reached one of its climaxes with the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and the Mercosur(Mercado Común del Sur America) countries. The agreement reached on 6/28/19 covers the duty-free export from South America to the EU of 99 thousand tons of beef and 140 thousand tons of poultry meat. (8)

The true costs of ‘cheap’ Brazilian and Argentine meat have already been seen in the Old Continent’s livestock crisis as well. Cattle in particular, where we still insist on preaching values and applying rules to protect workers and the environment, food safety and animal welfare. Albeit at different gradations, as seen in the example of German-style caporalism. (9)

Origin of meats in restaurants, decree now!

Italian consumers have the right to know the origin of meat in restaurants and in communities(fast-food and food delivery, public establishments, corporate and hospital school canteens, and catering). As has been happening in France since 2002 and as the Italia Zootecnia Consortium, with the heartfelt support of the writer, has been calling for since 2017 (10,11,12).

Myopic agricultural policy, piloted by the Coldiretti magic circle in conflict of interest with Italian farmers, has so far ignored this legitimate demand for transparency on the food chain. (13) But the pot is full; to the shame of land robbery and deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado is now added a food security crisis.

Origin of meat in communities, decree now!

Dario Dongo

Notes

(1) Nayara Figueiredo. Beef giant Brazil halts China exports after confirming two mad cow disease cases. Reuters. 4.9.21, https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/beef-giant-brazil-halts-china-exports-after-confirming-two-mad-cow-disease-cases-2021-09-04/

(2) The feeding of prion-contaminated animal meal to cattle, it will be recalled, was at the origin of the BSE (spongiform encephalopathy, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) zoonosis that swept the beef industry in Europe at the end of the last century

(3) The use of animal meal as feed materials, which has been banned in Europe for more than two decades, is still allowed in other countries that export beef to the EU. In Canada for example, as noted, although it was not until May 2021 that the OIE declared the BSE risk in that country ‘negligible’ (see https://bit.ly/3h414RQ)

(4) The accountability of the Brazilian government on the food safety front, with a focus on the meat sector, has already shown its limits in the previous Carne fraca scandal (2017). See previous articles:

Brazil, operation ‘weak meat’. Veterinarians bribed by giants and fake health certificates on beef and poultry meat for export,

Operation fractious meat. Reflections on globalization, food security and rights

(5) Dom Phillips, Michael Stamdaert. Eating up the rainforest: China’s taste for beef drives exports from Brazil. The Guardian. 16.3.21, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/16/eating-up-the-rainforest-chinas-taste-for-beef-drives-exports-from-brazil

(6) Dario Dongo, Carmela Mele, Alfonso Piscopo. African swine fever, high alert also in Europe. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 17.10.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/peste-suina-africana-allerta-massima-anche-in-europa-approfondimento

(7) See special chapter, in theebookFood Safety, Mandatory Rules and Voluntary Standards,’ at https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/libri/sicurezza-alimentare-regole-cogenti-e-norme-volontarie-il-nuovo-libro-di-dario-dongo

(8) Dario Dongo, Giulia Torre. EU – Mercosur, toxic agreement on trade. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 7/14/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/ue-mercosur-accordo-tossico-sul-commercio

(9) Dario Dongo. Slaughterhouses and meat industries. Behind the contagions at Covid-19, German-style caporalism. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 7.7.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/sicurezza/macelli-e-industrie-delle-carni-dietro-i-contagi-ai-covid-19-il-caporalato-alla-tedesca

(10) Dario Dongo. Origin of all meats in restaurants, the French lesson. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 25.11.19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/ristorazione/origine-di-tutte-le-carni-al-ristorante-la-lezione-francese

(11) Dario Dongo. Origin of meat in restaurants, the proposed decree-law of the Italia Zootechnica Consortium. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 5/26/17, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/consum-attori/origine-carni-al-ristorante-la-proposta-di-decreto-legge-del-consorzio-italia-zootecnica

(12) Dario Dongo. Origin of beef in restaurants, the draft decree law of the L’Italia Zootechnica Consortium. Detailed analysis. FARE(Food and Agriculture Requirements). 5/27/17, https://www.foodagriculturerequirements.com/archivio-notizie/origine-carni-bovine-al-ristorante-lo-schema-di-decreto-legge-del-consorzio-l-italia-zootecnica-analisi-di-dettaglio_1

(13) See paragraph Piedmont-Rome, conflicts of interest, in the previous article devoted to Coalvi (Consortium for the Protection of Piedmontese Breed), at https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/coalvi-gli-allevatori-piemontesi-sciolgono-il-cappio-di-coldiretti

Dario Dongo
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Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.