The European Commission has recalled consignments of frozen Brazilian beef products imported into the EU, after it was found they contained hormones banned in the bloc.
The banned hormones were detected in shipments that arrived into Europe earlier this month.
Authorities in a number of countries have removed affected products from sale, and issued recalls where necessary.
EU countries impacted by the situation include Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia.
The United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland) is also among the countries affected.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said the recalls of Brazilian beef raise questions about controls in Brazil.
IFA President Francie Gorman said they "raise very significant concerns around the lack of robust controls in slaughterhouses in Brazil, which has allowed hormone beef to enter the EU and be sold to European citizens".
He added the findings "have to be a serious wake-up call for the bureaucrats and cheerleaders attempting to usher through a Mercosur trade deal for the benefit of big industry at the expense of European farmers and the health and wellbeing of EU citizens".
It comes after a recent investigation from the Irish Farmers Journal, which claimed to have been able to buy animal antibiotics in Brazil without prescriptions, and hormones banned in the EU.
The European Commission is pushing for the ratification of Mercosur, which would create the world's biggest free-trade zone and significantly increase EU exports to Mercosur countries - Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
Mercosur countries would be able to export up to 99,000 tonnes of beef into the EU at a much-reduced tariff rate of 7.5%, as well as 180,000 tonnes of poultry.
Several EU member states, notably Ireland and France, are opposed to its ratification, citing the potential to massively distort key agricultural markets.
