00:00An EU committee made up of experts from member states voted on Tuesday to ban imports of Brazilian meat starting
00:07from the 3rd of September,
00:08due to the country's wide use of antimicrobials to stimulate animal growth.
00:14The decision to remove Brazil, famous for exporting steak to the world,
00:18from the list of countries that comply with EU food safety standards,
00:22comes after the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement provisionally entered into force on the 1st of May.
00:29The deal between the bloc and the South American-Mercosur nations of Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, and Bolivia
00:36has been decades in the making, with negotiations first taking place in the year 2000.
00:42The deal sparked major opposition from European farmers,
00:46who feared that different production standards and regulations will create unfair competition with cheaper Latin American imports.
00:54An official with knowledge of the file said that the vote was unanimous,
00:58making Brazil the 1st country removed from the list of states complying with EU restrictions on antimicrobial use in animals.
01:06Brazil, however, remains free under the current agreement to export its agricultural produce to Brussels.
01:13The list of 3rd countries which comply with EU requirements,
01:16and therefore can export food-producing animals to the EU,
01:20will be formally adopted in the coming days.
01:24Today's foreign to visit the Sapa 2nd of Spain,
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