“News that the world’s largest red meat exporter could be involved in exporting rotten meat shows how important it is to have a secure and safe source of food in the UK."

Britain’s high standards must be upheld post-Brexit - NFU

Recent allegations of a ‘rotten meat scandal’ in Brazil underline the importance of securing trade deals that uphold Britain’s high standards of food production, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has said.

Some of Brazil’s biggest meat processors have allegedly been selling rotten beef and poultry for years, according to BBC News.

Operation Weak Flesh launched in six Brazilian states last week following a two-year investigation, which allegedly found some managers were bribing health inspectors and politicians for government certificates for their products. Acid and other chemicals are said to have been used to mask issues with the product.

The NFU said Britain has ‘one of the safest and most traceable food systems of any country in the world’ and it is vital to ensure that any post-Brexit trade deals involving food imports do not undermine this system.

President Meurig Raymond said: “News that the world’s largest red meat exporter could be involved in exporting rotten meat shows how important it is to have a secure and safe source of food in the UK.

“We have some of the highest animal welfare and environmental standards in the world. Food produced in this country is traceable and how it’s produced is independently audited by assured schemes like the Red Tractor.

“Trade agreements with countries across the globe must be balanced – with the same conditions applying to food imports and exports. Protecting the standards adhered to by British farmers and the transparency across the supply chain is essential for the public who want to buy safe and traceable food.”