IN HAMLET, one of the palace guards, on seeing the ghost of the king on the castle walls, claims “something is rotten in the state of Denmark”.

We know now from reports that something is very rotten in Brazil. Far from being to do with a ghost it is about the more modern-day phenomenon of corruption, allowing the export of meat claimed to be sub-standard, or in the words of some commentators, rotten.

This claim emerged because one political party sought to expose wrongdoing by opponents, who allegedly turned a blind eye to the bribing of those issuing export health certificates. Those commenting on this are wise to make clear that these are allegations rather than fact.

This is all the more important since the accusations are being levelled at some of the biggest companies in the meat world. The reaction of the farming lobby has been to press for action by the EU, in the shape of a fresh ban on Brazilian beef, although some of the allegations relate to poultry as well.

It is ironic that these reports emerged as the European Commission and the Mercosur countries, which include Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, try to get trade discussions back on track. There is, however, no conspiracy in the timing of the news, since it is linked to an already difficult political situation in Brazil.

Trade officials and others from Brazil have been flat out reassuring countries about the quality of what they sell. Some of the companies named have stressed that their executives were not named, although that does not mean those further down vast companies were not involved. What is known as ‘Operation Weak Flesh’ – a name worthy of use in a Shakespearian tragedy, let alone a police investigation – has, however, been going on for two years, with three processing plants closed, a further 21 under investigation and 33 government officials suspended.

This has to be seen as Brazil’s horse-meat moment, but worse. While horse-meat was about price pressure exerted on suppliers by retailers, and about poor control of supply chains, what is allegedly happening in Brazil is far beyond that. It is about meat that does not comply with hygiene standards still being passed for export.

This is the sort of event that undermines years of efforts by Brazilian authorities to put the bad old days behind them. They fought hard to overturn the EU ban on Brazilian beef imports, but now it seems greed has highlighted continuing and fundamental inadequacies in the food supply chain in Brazil.

This is a difficult one for the European Commission, and despite the pressure it is under from farm lobby organisations, it is unlikely to introduce a new ban on Brazilian beef. It has already said this will have no impact on the Mercosur trade discussions.

It has imposed a temporary ban on meat from the companies named while it seeks explanations of what happened and where and when the meat was exported. However it will ultimately settle for an assurance that this will not happen again, having yet again sent veterinary officials to Brazil to inspect control systems and meat plants. This will probably be it, but in reality it is not enough.

The only thing likely to change the approach in Brussels will be if other countries, led by the United States, use these revelations to ban Brazilian meat. However that looks unlikely, given the involvement of Brazilian-owned companies as major players and employers in the global meat industry.

But this is all further grist to the mill for Scotland to underline that there is a lot to be said for ensuring that quality, local meat is available to consumers. This is all the more important in the context of Brexit, given that politicians in London do not seem to understand the importance of supporting agriculture. This is not about financially backing food production. It is about ensuring food security for UK consumers, based around quality, affordable food.

Throwing open the market to imports, so that the government can secure trade deals, is not a policy that comes without costs. It is instead a threat to UK food security, and delivering that is a prime responsibility of governments.

Farmers are unlikely to see Brazilian beef banned, much as that would be justified. They have however been handed a new weapon to warn consumers and politicians of the dangers to over-liberal trade arrangements.