Brazil expects China's nod on beef imports resumption

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Brazil expects China's nod on beef imports resumption

(People's Daily Online) 20:41, November 09, 2013

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China has agreed to send quarantine officials to review Brazilian meat exporters next month, a step closer toward lifting a ban on Brazilian beef, said visiting Brazilian agricultural minister on Friday.

At a press conference held in Beijing on Friday night, Antônio Andrade, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply of Brazil, introduced the details of the talk on agricultural cooperation with Chinese product quality watchdog - Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

"We've signed several agreements with AQSIQ including a food safety agreement," said Andrade, "The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has confirmed that the risk of mad cow disease in Brazil is at a negligible level. We expect to see the removal of the beef ban soon after the talk."

A case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered in Brazil in 2010, which had prompted 17 countries to impose import bans on Brazilian meat. From the end of 2012, AQSIQ started to ban the imports of Brazil cattle and the related products.

Brazil’s beef owns 19.6 percent of the worldwide market share and China was the 11th biggest destination with 16,630 tons of imports in 2012, according to the statistics provided by Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA).

In 2009, China replaced the United States to be Brazil’s most important trade partner in the world. A delegation led by Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer is paying a week-long visit to Chinese cities from this Monday to explore more business opportunities.

Apart from the progress on beef, China and Brazil have also signed an agreement on Chinese imports of 10 million tons of Brazilian corns, CNA President Kátia Abreu disclosed at Friday’s press conference. China will also decide to buy more Brazilian soybeans.

According to official statistics, in the first half of 2013, Brazil imported goods worth 21 billion U.S. dollars from China and exported 27.1 billion U.S. dollars worth. In 2012, the sale of cereals and seeds made up 29.2 percent of all Brazilian exports to China.

（Editor：ChenLidan、Yao Chun）