EU Issues Recall of Beef Exported by JBS

Batches of beef exported to Europe by the Brazilian company JBS were subject to a recall in the European Union after suspicions that the shipments may have contained residues of estradiol, a reproductive hormone used in the fertilization of females, which is prohibited in the bloc.

The European Commission ordered the withdrawal of the meat from retail in mid-November, and the sale of the product remains prohibited. The shipment came from a JBS unit in Campo Grande.

Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture sent notices to the Animal-Origin Products Inspection Service (Sipoa) in Campo Grande to inform that Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain had issued notifications regarding the suspicions.

“We received, through the notification (…), the communication of suspicion regarding a shipment of frozen boneless beef from animals treated (with estradiol) produced by the establishment JBS S/A, under SIF 1662,” read the documents obtained by Valor.

In the notices, the ministry emphasized that the European notification concerned a “failure observed by European auditors during a recent audit carried out in Brazil.” The ministry requested that Sipoa request an investigation into the causes and an action plan for control.

What JBS says
JBS told Valor that the 20-ton shipment of meat it exported to the EU came from animals supplied by a farm in the state, which were slaughtered in May and July. In October, “an audit carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture at the supplying farm detected a discrepancy in information regarding the use of the hormone estradiol, later reported to the EU by the Brazilian authorities,” the company said in a statement.

The European Commission then requested the recall in accordance with its protocols, as no tests were performed on the shipments, a source familiar with the matter told Valor.

“JBS identified the exported batches so that the appropriate measures could be taken. The company has been working with the European market for 30 years and continues exporting normally, meeting all requirements,” the company said. The Federal Inspection System at the unit was not suspended.

The company also said it received information in October from the Ministry of Agriculture regarding the suspension of the certifier responsible for the documentation and of the farm. JBS also stated that it has stopped exporting meat from animals supplied by that producer to Europe.

Contacted by Valor, the Ministry of Agriculture did not respond to requests for comment. The Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec) did not comment on the matter.

More than ten countries affected
Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia are among the EU countries affected by the recall. The United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland) is another market affected, according to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ.

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) told RTÉ that the recall raises questions about Brazil’s sanitary controls. The association’s president, Francie Gorman, said the case should serve as a warning to lawmakers who support approval of the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur. For him, the agreement would benefit the industry to the detriment of European farmers.

No health impact
Lygia Pimentel, director of the consultancy Agrifatto, specialized in livestock, noted that there was also debate on estradiol last year. She pointed out that residual levels of estradiol in meat tend to be minimal, in terms of health impact, because slaughter takes place long after its application, which occurs when the animal is of reproductive age.

In addition, the expert commented that this is not a hormone that promotes growth. Brazilian legislation prohibits the use of growth promoters (hormones) in animal production.

Source: Globo Rural

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