Irish farming chiefs will present a damning report to the European Parliament tomorrow on the standards of Brazilian meat imported to Europe.
Beef production in the south American country fails to meet EU food safety standards, a joint investigation by the Irish Farmers' Association and Farmers' Journalhas found.
A delegation visited Brazil last year and witnessed farmers they said were flouting cattle traceability procedures and using illegal hormones.
They later forwarded a report on their findings to the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.
IFA President Padraig Walshe said allowing Brazilian beef imports to the EU, of which there are about half a million tonnes every year, placed food safety at an unacceptable risk.
"We are looking for a ban [on Brazilian Beef]," he said.
"We all know what this country went through with foot and mouth a few years ago and it's too much of a risk to take."
The EU committee will be chaired by Neil Parish and is expected to be attended by the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Mariann Fischer Boel.
The presentation will highlight the alleged widespread illegal tag removal from cattle by Brazilian farmers, which is used to trace the source of animals before they are slaughtered.
The delegation also said they filmed farmers using hormone growth promoters that are banned in the EU and a DVD of the footage will be provided to the committee.
The presentation will be given by IFA Livestock Chairman John Bryan, who visited the country with colleague Kevin Kinsella and Farmers' Journalreporter Justin McCarthy.
"The mission visited farms in the state of Matto Grosso which were selling livestock for export into the EU," Mr Bryan said.
"On these farms there were no proper traceability or veterinary medicine controls. On some of the farms which were selling cattle for export to the EU, none of the animals had any ear tags whatsoever."
Scottish beef farmers and the UK's National Farmer's Union (NFU) will also attend the meeting.
Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson said he was looking forward to hearing the presentation. "I would like to congratulate the IFA and the Irish Farmers' Journalfor their investigation into the standards of Brazilian beef being imported into the EU," Mr Nicholson said.
"Amongst other things their report noted that traceability is non-existent, there are no controls at regional borders, no controls on animal movement and there are risks of further Foot and Mouth outbreaks.
"This is a totally unacceptable situation to be in. At present Northern Ireland's farmers must comply with the high standards laid down by the EU in terms of health, food safety and traceability so why shouldn't imports coming into the EU from other countries do the same?"
The delegation made a presentation to senior members of the EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection in early June.