Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 December 2025
279. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the action his Department has taken on recent reports that the European Commission has recalled consignments of frozen Brazilian beef products imported in to the European Union recently in view of the fact that prohibited growth hormones were detected in these products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70810/25]
View answerI am not aware of any Brazilian beef recalled from the shelves of Irish shops due to it containing banned growth hormones.
The EU has very stringent standards, known as SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards, to protect human, animal and plant health. These are amongst the highest in the world, and the European Commission has insisted that they are not negotiable.
The Government is very firmly of the view that these EU SPS standards must continue to be rigorously upheld for the benefit of European consumers. It is also important that the European Commission continues to engage with the Brazilian authorities to ensure that this is the case.
Throughout the EU-Mercosur negotiation process, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade - who has lead responsibility for trade policy - and I have actively engaged with both the European Commission and with other Member States to voice Ireland’s concerns in relation to the EU-Mercosur Agreement.
Since my appointment as Minister earlier this year, I have raised these concerns at Agri-Fish Council meetings and also with like-minded Member States through bilateral meetings on the margins of these Council meetings. In recent months, I have met with my French, Austrian, Latvian and Polish counterparts to exchange views. Most recently, I have met with my Italian and French counterparts en marge of the November Agri-Fish Council meeting in Brussels.
