Egypt may very literally have beef with Brazil: The Agriculture Ministry issued a decision to limit the acceptance of halal meat certificates from Latin America to only the Egyptian Islamic Company (IS EG), causing diplomatic tension with Brazil, one of our major meat exporters who would be forced to export less Brazilian beef, according to the local press. The ministry’s decision was based on concerns it has raised over the prevalence of mistakes at other centers in issuing the halal certificate during the last period, sources said. The Brazilian agriculture minister is currently visiting Cairo with a delegation of businessmen and representatives of the Federation of Islamic Institutions and held three meetings with Egyptian officials to inquire about the reasons for the decision, and to negotiate a reversal.