Madam, - The collective attack of sour grapes from Ireland's farming leaders is presumably because they failed to bully the EU into taking unnecessary, anti-competitive action ("Irish call for total ban of Brazilian beef turned down by EU", The Irish Times, December 20th.)
Their case was not helped by outrageous scaremongering. To claim that issues of traceability and record-keeping in Brazil presented a threat to EU animal, and even human, health was nonsense.
Brazil has exported beef to Europe for over 75 years, with never a case of foot-and-mouth disease: no surprise, because FMD cannot survive in deboned, matured fresh and frozen beef, which is what Brazil sends us.
For the record, Brazilian beef is safe, wholesome and delicious. To mislead both farmers and consumers on this issue does a disservice to the whole food community. - Yours, etc,
ROBERT METCALFE, Director, Brazilian Beef Information Service, Fitzroy Square, London W1.