Gerard Murphy (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Agriculture and Food if she intends to introduce a total ban on Brazilian beef imports into the European Union based on health issues in view of the fact that there are many outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in the Brazilian herds; her views on whether a partial ban being imposed by the EU cannot be effectively implemented due to the lack of movement, control and traceability in the Brazilian livestock herd; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Korea do not permit the importation of fresh Brazilian beef imports on health grounds; her further views on whether the health status of the EU livestock sector and the Irish livestock sector is being put at risk by continuing to import beef from a country where there is inadequate movement control and traceability and where there are a number of outbreaks of foot and mouth disease as well as a vaccination programme for foot and mouth disease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33762/05]

Mary Coughlan (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware that at least 40 countries, including 25 member states of the EU, have introduced partial or complete bans on the importation of meat from Brazil. In accordance with the principles of harmonisation of the internal market, the EU operates as a single entity with regard to international trade. The European Commission, therefore, introduces safeguard measures that have EU wide application limiting or banning the export of animal products from third countries where the conditions of an animal disease outbreak could seriously affect production and trade in animal products in the EU or where there is risk to human health.

In the application of such measures the Community will apply the regionalisation principle that can allow trade to continue from non-affected regions. This principle is fundamental to membership of the World Organisation of Animal Health, OIE, to which all members of the EU subscribe. In practice, this means that where there is a disease outbreak, restrictions on trade are applied to products from this affected region while trade can continue from other unaffected parts of this country or region. It will be recalled that this principle was applied to trade here during the FMD outbreak in 2001.

Following confirmation of an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a farm in the Eldorado district of Mato Grosso do Sul in the southern part of Brazil, the European Commission immediately introduced proposals at the EU standing committee on the food chain and animal health, SCoFCAH, to suspend imports of de-boned and matured beef from the regions of Mato Grosso do Sul, Parana, and also Sao Paulo. Accordingly, beef produced in the affected regions from cattle slaughtered since 29 September 2005 may not be traded.

I fully support the policy that animal products imported into the EU from third countries meet standards at least equivalent to those required for production in, and trade between, EU member states. In this context I wrote last month to the Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Mr. Markos Kyprianou, concerning the sanitary rules applying to the import of livestock products, especially beef, into the European Union. In the letter, I raised the matter of "equivalence" on the specific and important issues of animal traceability, controls on veterinary medicines, prohibited substances and residue monitoring programmes in these countries and in particular with regard to Brazilian beef in view of its increasing presence on the European market. I requested the Commission to consider the matter and invited it to put appropriate proposals before SCoFCAH.

Irish farmers are required to ensure that their production systems and farm practices fully comply with a wide range of EU directives on important matters, including traceability, animal health and welfare and consumer protection. These all have significant in-built cost factors, and bearing in mind that our beef farmers are in competition on European and international markets with beef from low cost producers such as Brazil, I will continue to seek real equivalence in these areas, both in discussions within the EU and in the context of the WTO talks on market access.