Brazil’s cattle traceability is a big threat to its chances of accessing the UK beef market, a commercial adviser for Danish food and agriculture companies in Brazil has said.
Speaking to journalists on the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Exposure for Development tour, Alexandre Hornemann said Brazil sees Brexit as an opportunity and that the UK is an attractive market.
When asked by the Irish Farmers Journal if Brazilian beef farmers would have to increase their standards to gain access to the UK market, Hornemann said there are animals in Brazil traced from birth and it is not a small volume of cattle.
“These farms are approved to the European Union. Maybe it is a question as to where is the UK market going.
“Are they going to be tougher [on standards]? Are they going to stick with European [Union] rules?
“The UK market is a prime market that we want to sell to. There is an expectation that you could get these whole [fully] traced animals to the UK market.
“When you talk about fresh beef to the European Union, they’re fully traced to birth. The problem is industrialised products – hamburgers. These are the killers,” he said.
He said that while a significant amount of animals are traced from birth in Brazil, many are not and often cattle are only traced from the farm they are finished on before going to the factory.
Hornemann said that, in the short term, Brazil is “very worried” about Brexit, adding that there are fears about a queue of countries and companies also trying to get access to the UK market.
“In the long term there could be opportunity. We feel that maybe it’s easier to negotiate with the UK market instead of the European market.
“We have a positive feeling about being able to go into the UK market because Europe has been an obstacle in that sense,” he said.
Read more
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'We're in uncharted waters' - farmers react to Brazilian beef threat
Brazil’s cattle traceability is a big threat to its chances of accessing the UK beef market, a commercial adviser for Danish food and agriculture companies in Brazil has said.
Speaking to journalists on the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Exposure for Development tour, Alexandre Hornemann said Brazil sees Brexit as an opportunity and that the UK is an attractive market.
When asked by the Irish Farmers Journal if Brazilian beef farmers would have to increase their standards to gain access to the UK market, Hornemann said there are animals in Brazil traced from birth and it is not a small volume of cattle.
“These farms are approved to the European Union. Maybe it is a question as to where is the UK market going.
“Are they going to be tougher [on standards]? Are they going to stick with European [Union] rules?
“The UK market is a prime market that we want to sell to. There is an expectation that you could get these whole [fully] traced animals to the UK market.
“When you talk about fresh beef to the European Union, they’re fully traced to birth. The problem is industrialised products – hamburgers. These are the killers,” he said.
He said that while a significant amount of animals are traced from birth in Brazil, many are not and often cattle are only traced from the farm they are finished on before going to the factory.
Hornemann said that, in the short term, Brazil is “very worried” about Brexit, adding that there are fears about a queue of countries and companies also trying to get access to the UK market.
“In the long term there could be opportunity. We feel that maybe it’s easier to negotiate with the UK market instead of the European market.
“We have a positive feeling about being able to go into the UK market because Europe has been an obstacle in that sense,” he said.
Read more
No-deal tariffs would be a sledgehammer blow to farmers
UK plans to open doors to Brazilian beef
'We're in uncharted waters' - farmers react to Brazilian beef threat
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