Operation Weak Meat

The Operation Carne Fraca (Operation Weak Meat in Brazilian media in English, meaning Portuguese for 'meat of minor quality'), is an action started on March 17, 2017 and enforced by the Federal Police of Brazil, that country's federal police force, which investigated some of the country's largest meat processing companies.

The company JBS S.A. (which represents about a quarter of world's market on beef, and holds the trademarks Friboi, Seara Alimentos (Seara Foods), Swift Armour, and Vigor) and the BRF company (which holds the trademarks Perdigão and Sadia) are accused of having mixed rotten meat treated with chemical components into meat sold in Brazil and abroad.[1]

As a first consequence, more than 30 meat inspectors were fired.[2][3] They allegedly allowed rotten meat to be sold, dates of expiration to be altered, meat of poor quality to be disguised and mixed with potentially carcinogenic chemical substances, according to Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (Anvisa), sorbic acid and the not for use authorized Vitamin C.[4]

Economical impact

Brazil is the leading exporter of beef and poultry, and the fourth largest pork exporter.[5] Brazil's world market share in this business is about 7.2%[6] The BRF Holding, which is controlled by Perdigão and Sadia, exports poultry to 120 countries and has a world market share of about 14%. Economics observers such as Bloomberg News expect a loss of market share of up to 10%.[7]

Reaction

National
Press

The main topic in national publications was the impact on the economy.[8]

Politics

President Michel Temer announced an investigation and invited ambassadors to a steak dinner.[9]

Brazil's government shut down three plants and suspended the export licenses for 21 meat packing plants too.[10]

On 18 May 2017 the newspaper O Globo[11] reported that the owner of JBS secretly recorded president Michel Temer giving him hush money to buy the silence of a potential witness against Temer.[12]

International echo
Press
Politics
  • A first import ban was announced.[17] Chile, China, Egypt, Hong Kong, Japan, and Mexico[18] suspended all meat imports from Brazil, and the European Union banned meat from any plant that is implicated in the case.[19][20] The United States began checking shipments of meat from Brazil and later suspended all meat imports from Brazil over quality concerns.[21] This suspension arose in tariff talks with the US following a visit to Washington by Jair Bolsonaro.[22]

Course

In July 2017 Eumar Roberto Novacki, Brazil's secretary of state, in Geneva tried to convince European meat importers that Brazilian meat was of high quality. At the same time, new information on bribery of meat inspectors were published.[23]

gollark: What?
gollark: <@673952642623471676> Welcome. We know what you did.
gollark: I mean, surely they want everyone to be glowing bright green to advertise them?
gollark: It's completely triangular for GREEN parties to be antinuclear.
gollark: Something like that.

See also

References
  1. Agência Brasil, ed. (March 17, 2017). "Justiça Federal no Paraná bloqueia R$1 bilhão dos maiores frigoríficos do país". EBC.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  2. "Operação Carne Fraca da PF coloca JBS e BRF na mira por esquema de corrupção". EL País (in Portuguese). March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.{{.}}
  3. "Carne vencida e mascarada com 'produtos cancerígenos' o escândalo que atinge as maiores empresas do Brasil". BBC (in Portuguese). March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  4. Marques, Maria Júlia & Garcia, Daniela. "Produtos usados pelos frigoríficos na carne estragada fazem mal à saúde". Panoramadosuldabahia (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 21, 2017.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. "Gammelfleischskandal erschüttert "Exportweltmeister" Brasicite". Stuttgarter Nachrichten (in German). March 17, 2017. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  6. "Carne vencida e mascarada com 'produtos cancerígenos': o escândalo que atinge as maiores empresas do Brasil". BBC (in Portuguese). March 18, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  7. Freitas Jr, Gerson & Biller, David & Leite, Julia (April 11, 2017). "Brazil May Lose Up to $1.5 Billion in Meat Exports on Probe". Retrieved May 14, 2017.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  8. "Escândalo da carne lança dúvida sobre agronegócio, "pilar" da economia brasileira, diz NYT". BBC.com (in Portuguese). March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  9. "Temer anuncia força-tarefa para investigar alvos da Carne Fraca". exame.abril com Agência Brasil. March 19, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  10. Gillespie, Patrick & Darlington, Shasta & Brocchetto, Marilia (March 22, 2017). "Brazil's spoiled meat scandal widens worldwide". CNNMoney. Retrieved March 25, 2017.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  11. "Dono da JBS gravou Temer dando aval para comprar silêncio de Cunha, diz jornal". O Globo (in Portuguese). May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  12. "Brasiliens Präsident unter Druck - Temer in Korruptionsskandal schwer belastet". N-TV.de (in German). May 18, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  13. "Brésil: un réseau de viande avariée démantelé". Le Figaro (in French). March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  14. Romero, Simon (March 17, 2017). "Brazil's Largest Food Companies Raided in Tainted Meat Scandal". The New York Times. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  15. Leahy, Joe (March 17, 2017). "Contamination probe hits Brazilian meatpackers". Financial Times. São Paulo. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  16. "Brazilian firms 'bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on market' as plants raided in corruption probe". The Telegraph. March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  17. "Fleischskandal: Erste Länder stoppen Importe aus Brasilien". dw.com (in German). Deutsche Welle. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  18. "Le Mexique suspend l'importation de produits avicoles du Brésil". Le Figaro. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  19. Gillespie, Patrick & Darlington, Shasta & Brocchetto, Marilia (March 22, 2017). "Brazil's spoiled meat scandal widens worldwide". CNNMoney. Retrieved March 25, 2017.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  20. Claire Felter; Rocio Cara Labrador (November 7, 2018). "Brazil's Corruption Fallout". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  21. [United States suspends all Brazilian meat imports "United States suspends all Brazilian meat imports"] Check |url= value (help). BBC. June 23, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  22. Chris Prentice; Ayenat Mersie (March 20, 2019). "Brazil minister says U.S. 'gesture' on beef imports insufficient". Reuters. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  23. Alexander Busch (July 16, 2017). "Bis zu 6000 Dollar für schmierige Steaks". Handelsblatt. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
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