Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda
Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Karl Samuda has announced that there are no plans to ban meat products from Brazil at this time.
His announcement follows news that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has suspended the importation of all fresh beef from Brazil following safety concerns.
Minister Samuda, who was speaking at a press conference at the Ministry’s New Kingston offices this morning, noted that Jamaica does not import fresh meat from Brazil.
Jamaica only imports canned beef from two processing plants in Brazil and those processing plants have been found to be compliant with international standards.
“We’ve done our tests and carried out surveys extensively. We are satisfied that our surveys carry the level of integrity that would cause us to continue to import corned beef from the country. We are not affected. This is something affecting fresh meat,” said Minister Samuda.
The Agriculture Minister noted that the situation is being monitored and further updates will be provided to the public as the need arises.
Contact: Karlene Brown Tel: 968-8669
