BRF SA poultry executives have been charged with taking part in a health official bribery scheme. Photo: GettyTwo executives at Brazilian poultry firm BRF SA were among 60 people charged on Thursday with taking part in a scheme to bribe health officials, in a scandal that briefly closed global markets to Brazilian meat, according to a statement from prosecutors. Federal prosecutors in the state of Parana said they accused BRF director Andre Luiz Baldissera and government relations executive Roney Nogueira of taking part in a scheme to bribe officials in return for less rigorous plant inspections. Others charged include public officials, heath inspectors and other BRF employees. The scandal briefly threatened nearly $14 billion in exports from Brazil's powerhouse protein industry, as markets from China to Europe curtailed shipments of Brazilian meat.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 21, 2017 05:15 UTC