A mission from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China is due to visit Brazil by 15 December to inspect refrigeration units, said the president of the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock, senator Kátia Abreu.

The aim of the Chinese mission is to inspect the sanitary hygiene of beef cattle in Brazil and possibly to end the embargo on Brazilian beef, which has been in place since December 2012, the senator said in a statement issued in Brazil.

The president of the confederation is in Shanghai, China taking part Tuesday in the AgroInvest Brasil 2013 seminar, which is intended to present Chinese buyers and investors with the opportunities available in the Brazilian agricultural business.

Abreu said that the Chinese technicians would be able to confirm that there were no “mad cows” in Brazil and added that, as well as expecting that the embargo would be lifted, that the number of companies authorised to sell beef to China would increase.

Noting that in 2012 China imported goods worth US$1.75 trillion, of which just US$41 billion came from Brazil, the senator said that Brazilian companies had plans to increase the sale of beef, pork, cotton and particularly coffee to China. (macauhub)