As previously covered on this blog, Brazilian federal police raided several meat producers earlier this month for allegedly doling out bribes to inspectors to certify meat that was either rotten or tainted with Salmonella. A number of jurisdictions – including China, Chile, Japan, Mexico, Hong Kong, South Africa and the European Union – responded by halting the importation of Brazilian meat partially or completely. Considering that meat and poultry exports are a key element of Brazil’s economy – Brazil is responsible for an estimated 20 percent of the world’s red-meat exports and 40 percent of its chicken exports – Brazilian meat companies have been making every effort to regain access to these markets.

In recent days, Brazilian meat companies have succeeded at getting their products back into some of their most important markets, including Hong Kong which accounted for nearly $718 million in purchases in 2016.  China, Chile, South Korea, and Egypt have also already lifted temporary bans on Brazilian meat over the past several days.  The European Union continues to maintain a partial ban on products from the 21 meatpacking plants under investigation.  The U.S. has not issued a ban on Brazilian meat imports, but is testing all beef from Brazil for pathogens.