EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel has warned her colleague, health commissioner Markos Kyprianou, that "the credibility of the whole EU Commission will be at stake" in its handling of an Irish report alleging malpractices in the Brazilian beef industry.
A spokesman for Mr Kyprianou last week rubbished the Irish Farmers' Association's investigation which alleged there was an unacceptable lack of effective controls and standards in the beef sector in Brazil.
However, in a letter to her colleague at the weekend, Ms Fischer Boel described the findings of the IFA mission to Brazil as "so dramatic" that they had to be answered.
"In May this year, the Irish Farmers' Association carried out a mission in Brazil and examined the production standards, tagging, traceability and movement controls, border controls and bio-security, animal medicine controls and foot-and-mouth controls," she said in her letter.
"In their written report underpinned by a video, they can produce factual evidence of non-existent or unreliable cattle traceability, widespread illegal removal and cutting out of tags, ineffective foot-and-mouth controls, use of hormones and inadequate movement and border controls.
"These findings are so dramatic that we cannot just let it go," she wrote.
"The report has already found the interest of a number of MEPs that are more than willing to follow up on the Irish findings with the commission," Ms Fischer Boel added.
"Internal discussions have already been conducted. Furthermore, in a time where we might reactivate the Mercosur negotiations, the focus will be increasing on this issue.
"Even if the findings of the IFA only partially reflect the situation in Brazil, I take the view that the commission should dig into this issue and prepare itself for the inquiries that will certainly take place in nearer future.
"Taking into account that we are dealing here with public health, we must be capable of demonstrating that we have given the necessary attention to the Irish allegation and we have followed them up seriously," the letter continued.
Whatever Mr Kyprianou might decide, it "should be sufficient either to rebut the Irish allegations" and give evidence that the Brazilian situation did not merit trade restriction measures, or "to demonstrate that the commission has taken the necessary steps in order to ensure that fundamental public health standards are respected by Brazilian beef imports".
Ms Fischer Boel concluded by saying that that because the report would be discussed in the European Parliament and would find its way into the media, "not only the two of us will be in the frontline but the credibility of the whole commission will be at stake".
The IFA will present its report on its mission to Brazil to the agriculture committee of the European Parliament next Monday.
Mr Kyprianou's spokesman said last week that although the IFA team had visited farms and border crossings, they "did not apparently visit farms in the system for exports to the EU nor did they visit slaughterhouses, laboratories or official control bodies".