Egypt Resumes Meat Importation From Brazil

Egypt has resumed imports of Brazilian meat, the agriculture ministry said on Saturday, two days after it said it was suspending it until the meat was confirmed safe for consumption.

The ministry said in a statement that it had resumed imports from authorized Brazilian slaughterhouses, adding that shipments would, however, be subject to checks both in the country of origin and on arrival in Egypt.

Brazil had been investigating how meatpackers allegedly paid off inspectors to overlook practices, including processing rotten meat, shipping exports with traces of salmonella and not carrying out inspections of plants.

The companies involved have denied any wrongdoing and authorities have said that no cases of death or illness have been linked to the tainted meat investigation.

The China’s Commerce Ministry had said on Thursday that it was concerned about the quality of Brazilian meat and took a decision to temporarily halt the import from the country.

“As the largest importer of meat from Brazil, China expresses concerns about the quality of Brazilian meat.

“Chinese authorities have taken temporary measures in a timely manner,” Commerce Ministry spokesman Sun Jiwen said.

However, China, the European Union, South Korea and Chile have also suspended meat import from the Brazil.