Scotland’s National Farmers Union (NFU) has urged the British government to mirror the EU’s approach and ban Brazilian beef from 3 September.
On that date, imports of Brazilian beef will be prohibited from entering the EU over its failure to abide by antibiotic rules.
“Brazil exports far more beef to the EU than to the UK and if access to the EU is lost, exporters may seek alternative markets, including the UK,” NFU Scotland has warned.
“Increased imports would likely make imported beef cheaper, which would put pressure on UK cattle prices and margins for beef producers.
"Brazil has access to a UK WTO beef quota for fresh, chilled and frozen beef of approximately 11,143t. However, in 2024, imports from Brazil reached 23,000t, which was 8% of the UK's total beef imports,” it said.
Standards
The NFU and Scottish Red Meat Resilience Group have written a letter to DEFRA minister Angela Eagle, arguing that beef imports should only be permitted where Brazil can provide verified and auditable guarantees that products meet equivalent UK standards.
“We have also warned that failing to act could undermine confidence in UK food standards, place domestic livestock producers at a competitive disadvantage and create uncertainty as the UK negotiates a new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement with the EU.
“The UK government has an opportunity to align with the EU’s approach by prioritising and protecting domestic producers and consumers alike.
"Without a firm commitment to equivalent import standards, there is a risk that products which do not meet UK expectations could enter the wholesale and out-of-home sectors, where transparency continues to be limited,” the NFU said.
Brazilian meat could be banned from EU from September