04/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - In a press release, the Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the EU (COPA) and the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU (COGECA) comment on the European Commission's 19 December 2007 decision to restrict imports of Brazilian beef that “given the failures of Brazil to improve the safety of their meat for export into the EU, this step was overdue,” (see EUROPE 9570). In 2006, “around 300,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef came into the EU and no one knew where exactly it came from, whether it was carrying animal diseases and or if had been produced using illegal hormones,” explained COPA-COGECA. Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of COPA-COGECA, said: “If there are no improvements in the near future or any problems with meat from those enterprises which are permitted to export into the EU, the European Commission must not hesitate to take further measures.” (L.C.)