Brazil meat scandal deepens with EU barring some imports

Brazil's President Michel Temer leads a meeting on the rotten meat scandal with the ambassadors to countries that import Brazilian meat and representatives of the agriculture and meat sectors at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, March 19, 2017. Temer is holding several meetings on Sunday in light of a recent corruption probe that revealed Brazilian meatpackers bribed inspectors to keep rotten meat on the market. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) (The Associated Press)

A Municipal Sanitary Surveillance worker show a package of chicken in bad condition during an inspections at a supermarket in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 20, 2017. The European Union's spokesman in Brazil says the union is temporarily halting some imports of Brazilian meat amid an investigation into a massive scheme of meat adulteration, which involved some of the country's largest producers. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) (The Associated Press)

Workers of the Municipal Sanitary Surveillance confiscate hot dogs to be analzsed at a supermarket in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, March 20, 2017. The European Union's spokesman in Brazil says the union is temporarily halting some imports of Brazilian meat amid an investigation into a massive scheme of meat adulteration, which involved some of the country's largest producers. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) (The Associated Press)

The European Union's spokesman in Brazil says the union is temporarily halting some imports of Brazilian meat amid an investigation into sales of rotten products.

Enrico Brivio told reporters Monday that companies involved in the scandal would be temporarily barred. He didn't cite companies by name or specify how long the suspension would last.

The decision is a blow to Brazil, one of the world's largest exporters of meat.

On Friday, police issued 38 arrest warrants involving the giant meatpackers JBS and BRF.

Authorities say the companies used chemicals to improve the appearance and smell of expired meats.

President Michel Temer called an emergency meeting Sunday with ambassadors of several countries. He assured them that national meats were safe and invited them to a Brazilian style barbeque.