By Bisola Adeyemo
Brazil minister of Agriculture, Tereza Cristina Corrêa da Costa Dias, has said the country has stopped beef business with other countries especially China (number 1 customer in beef export) after confirming two cases of “atypical” mad cow disease in two separate domestic meat plants.
The ministry announced this in a statement on Saturday, saying the suspension, which is part of an animal health pact agreed between China and Brazil and is designed to allow Beijing time to take stock of the problem, begins immediately, China will decide when to begin importing again, According to Reuters news agency.
The suspension is a major blow for Brazilian farmers: China and Hong Kong buy more than half of Brazil’s beef exports.
The minister stated that the two cases were identified in meat plants in the states of Mato Grosso and Minas Gerais, It said they were the fourth and fifth cases of “atypical” mad cow disease that have been detected in Brazil in 23 years.
It said “atypical” mad cow disease develops spontaneously and is not related to eating contaminated foods. Brazil has never had a case of “classic” mad cow disease, it said.
“The two cases were confirmed on Friday after samples were sent to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) lab in Alberta, Canada, The OIE had subsequently been informed of the two cases, in compliance with international norms.”
The ministry also said there was no risk to animal or human health.
Brazil’s government will hope the suspension is lifted quickly. The country’s powerful agribusiness sector is one of the main drivers of its long-lagging economy.
China is Brazil’s top trade partner and buys vast quantities of its commodities.
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