Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

Question 109: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food her views on the fact that the Brazilian laboratories tasked with ensuring Brazilian beef for export is free from banned hormones and illegal levels of pharmaceutical residues do not appear, according to recent evidence given to the Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food by an EU official, to be capable of fulfilling this role; the impact such incapacity has on the acceptability of guarantees by the Brazilian Government provided to the European Commission that its standards are at least equivalent to those in operation for EU food producers; her views on whether it is time to ban the importation of Brazilian beef into the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33030/06]

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