The European Union may resort to a ban on Brazilian meat imports after demands from Irish MEPs and the Irish Farmers' Association.
European Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou said the South American agricultural giant needs to improve its food safety standards.
'We do identify weaknesses in Brazil and we have put pressure on Brazil to respond,' Commissioner Kyprianou told members of the European Parliament.
'If the situation does not improve in the timeframe, which is by the end of the year, we will take whatever measures necessary, including the possibility of a ban,' he added.
Irish farmers have been pressing the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, to get tough with their competitors in Brazil for what they say are substandard conditions.
The Brazilian government and the country's farming industry deny the claims of use of illegal growth hormones and say Brazil is implementing the recommendations of EU animal health officials who visited the country in March.
