HONG KONG: Hong Kong said last week that it has lifted a ban on the import of Brazilian meat. An investigation into corruption has hit exports from the world’s top beef and poultry exporter. Meat exports fell by around a fifth the week before last, the trade ministry said. Brazil now has to restore credibility in the competitive global market as the immediate problem of import bans subsides.
Hong Kong’s Center for Food Safety said it eased the ban on Brazilian meat and poultry imports once it received further information from Brazilian authorities. Hong Kong had been one of several major importers of Brazilian meat which stopped imports after Brazil’s federal police arrested dozens of people on March 17 amid allegations of corruption in the meat industry. Together with China, which lifted its ban on Saturday, Hong Kong bought nearly one-third of the meat that Latin America’s largest economy exported last year.
