Major beef market Hong Kong Tuesday ended a blanket ban imposed on Brazilian meat imports in a scandal over tainted products, Brazil’s government said.
It said the move means all the major markets for Brazil’s key meat exports have relaxed their bans on meat from the recession-hit South American nation, the world’s top beef and poultry exporter.
“Brazil is satisfied to have received the news that Hong Kong has reopened its market to Brazilian meat” except for products from 21 companies investigated in the food scare, it said in a statement.
“With this measure, all the big markets for our meat exports are open again for (imports destined for) human consumption.”
Brazil was rocked by investigators’ accusations on March 17 that 21 meat processing companies used chemicals to hide the smell of rotting meat and bribed health inspectors to pass off their products as safe.
About 20 countries last week fully or partially closed their doors to Brazilian meat imports, whose sales brought in more than $13 billion to the Brazilian economy in 2016.
Three major importers — China, Egypt and Chile — had lifted their restrictions as of Saturday, opening up to imports from Brazilian producers except for the 21 plants under investigation.
Hong Kong is the biggest importer of Brazilian beef, with more than $718 million in imports in 2016, according to the Brazilian trade ministry.
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