The Minister of Finance for Finland has said that the country and the rest of the EU should seriously consider banning beef exports from Brazil.
Banning beef and soya exports from Brazil has been proposed as a method to compel the country to stop the large-scale fires destroying parts of the Amazon, the largest expanse of tropical rainforests in the world.
It is suspected that at least some of the fires were set by local farmers to clear land for farming and livestock rearing.
The Minister promised that if the EU fails to make progress he will bring up the issue at an informal meeting for Finance Ministers in Helsinki on 13–14 September.