Up to 40 members of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) today staged a sit-in protest at the European Union (EU) offices in Dublin demanding the release of a report on Brazilian beef.
The body said an EU delegation travelled to the South American country last spring and exposed deficiencies in meat production standards, but the report on the visit has been withheld.
The IFA called on EU Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou to release it or threatened that the sit-in — monitored by a small Garda contingent - would continue indefinitely.
President Padraig Walshe (right) pictured as up to 40 members of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) staged a sit-in protest at the European Union (EU) offices in Dublin. PA
An EU spokeswoman said the Commission's Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) is expected to publish the report in the coming weeks after consultation with the parties involved.
John Bryan, IFA Livestock Chairman, said: "At this stage the six months delay by Commissioner Kyprianou undermines the credibility of the report and public confidence in the process."
A second EU delegation is to return to Brazil next week and the IFA has written to the Commissioner to allow an IFA independent veterinarian to attend.
The IFA previously called for a ban on the import into Europe of Brazilian beef because of the standard of meat production in the country and the widespread presence of foot-and-mouth disease.
"The facts are foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in Brazil," Mr Bryan said.
"The failure of Brazil to meet European standards has been well documented."
An EU spokeswoman said a draft report on the FVO inspection had been prepared and that comments were being sought from the various parties involved. "The FVO expects to be able to publish their report in the coming weeks and it will then appear on their website," she said.