THE chairman of the NFU's livestock board joined other farmers' leaders, ministers and MEPs from the EU's main sheep producing nations to discuss ways to tackle low profitability and declining production in the sector across Europe.

The National Farmers' Union has said the report by the EU Food and Veterinary Office has justified its call, a year ago, for a ban on Brazilian beef, after the inspection found "systematic failures." The official report of the inspection, which was carried out in November, states the failures were discovered in relation to holding registration, animal identification and movement controls, and provisions were not guaranteed to exclude slaughtered animals from non-approved foot and mouth disease areas for export to the EU.

THE NFU has said a report by the EU Food and Veterinary Office has justified its call for a ban on Brazilian beef more than a year ago, after the inspection found 'systematic failures'.

By Anna Lognonne Former NFU Cumbrian chairmen Gordon Capstick and Alistair Mackintosh will now be representing the interests of the region's livestock farmers.