Exports from the two plants, Dois Vizinhos and Francisco Beltrão which are both located in the Brazilian state of Paraná, were suspended due to alleged violations conducted by BRF in the production of feed.
BRF was informed by the SFDA in an official note and then circulated the situation to the wider market. It said it expects that the suspension is temporary although said there would be an immediate impact on the Dois Vizinhos site which exports around 6,000 tonnes of poultry meat a month to Saudi Arabia. The Francisco Beltrão plant does not currently export to Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, BRF said it has “already initiated the necessary adjustments to redirect the production to its other plants, until the matter is duly clarified, still possessing five plants with permissions to export to Saudi Arabia” and that the plants of Dois Vizinhos e Francisco Betrão will be used to serve other markets.
It added: “The Company has cooperated fully and continuously with Brazilian and international authorities in the clarification of the matter and does not tolerate any quality or integrity deviation in its production process. Thus, it has intensified and expanded its internal controls, compliance, and quality structures in recent years aiming to guarantee strict adherence to any and all worldwide sanitary legislations.”
Earlier this month, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) announced that Kuwait will start importing beef from Brazil.
Kuwait was one of the countries where minister Tereza Cristina was in September last year, during the mission to the Middle East. According to MAPA, chicken meat is the Brazilian agricultural product most bought by Kuwait. It claimed that in 2018, 122,945 tonnes were imported, equivalent to US$185.7m.
