Members of the European Parliament have called for a Europe-wide ban on Brazilian beef imports amid growing concern about foot-and-mouth disease.
Evidence was presented to the Parliament after a joint investigation of the Brazilian beef market by the Irish Farmers' Association and the Irish Farmers' Journal.
It found failure to tag or trace animals, failure to administer vaccines, and failure to prevent livestock being taken across regional and national borders.
MEPs, including Fine Gael's Mairead McGuinness, tabled a written declaration in Strasbourg demanding an immediate ban on all beef and beef products from Brazil.
Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson added his voice to the demands for steps to be taken by the European Commission. The Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist linked foot and mouth disease to the South American country's produce and said local farmers were being forced out of the market.
The US, Australia, Japan and South Korea already block all Brazilian beef on health grounds, but the EU only has regional bans on beef from three parts of the country.
Even the partial ban is being beaten, according to the Irish investigation, which found that lax controls make it easy for Brazilian exporters to move livestock out of infected zones to areas considered FMD-free, from which they can continue the export trade to Europe.
Last year the EU imported 333,000 tonnes of beef from Brazil.
