010710 Brazil Denies Halting Beef ImportsJuly 3, 2001Brasilia, Brazil - Brazil's Agriculture Ministry denied reports it had suspended beef imports from the United States and Canada over fears the meat was infected with mad cow disease. The Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto reported Brazil had suspended the imports because of concerns about mad cow disease. The newspaper cited a memorandum from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as its source. But Brazil's Secretary of Agricultural Defense Luiz Carlos de Oliveira said “there is no scientific reason or other motive to suspend the purchase of cattle from Canada and the United States.” Oliveira also denied Brazil had banned imports of cattle semen and embryos as The Globe and Mail had reported. Last winter, Canada imposed a ban on Brazilian beef for about a month claiming there was a possibility the meat carried bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a brain-wasting illness better known as mad cow disease. Trade regulations compelled the United States to follow suit, creating a rift that tainted hemispheric relations, and caused angry Brazilians to take to the streets, denouncing Canada. Critics said the Canadian move was triggered by an unrelated dispute over aircraft subsidies. The ban was lifted after a scientific commission from Canada, the United States and Mexico visited Brazil to inspect its herd. Brazil has one of the world's largest herds with some 170 million cows.
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