Brazilian authorities pledged to stump up guarantees that its meat complies with EU antimicrobial rules ahead of September’s introduction of new EU food import rules that could see Brazilian meat banned.
The vow follows last week’s decision of EU member states to provisionally remove Brazil from the list of countries that will be eligible to export meat and animal foods to the EU from 3 September.
The European Commission has said that Brazil does not currently comply with EU rules that ban the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters and that prevent antimicrobials reserved for human use for treating livestock.
These rules have applied to EU farmers for some years and will apply to imported agri-food goods from September.
“The Brazilian government will promptly take all necessary measures to reverse this decision, reinstate its status on the list of authorised countries, and ensure the continued flow of these products to the European market, to which it has exported for 40 years,” Brazil’s foreign ministry said last week.
“It is worth noting that, at the moment, Brazilian exports of animal products are proceeding normally,” the statement said, adding that the move had come as a “surprise”.
Time lag anticipated
However, the indications from Brussels that animals will have had to be subject to compliant antimicrobial regimes to be deemed eligible for export could scupper Brazil’s chances at having its beef eligible for shipment to the EU before the 3 September deadline.
The Commission said that the relevant rules must have been applied across “the entire lifetime of the exported animals or the animals that the exported products originate from” meaning that it could be two years for prime to be readmitted onto the export eligibility list after evidence that a compliant system is in place has been received by the EU.
Brazil exported almost 120,000t of beef in carcase weight equivalent to the EU in 2025, according to Commission figures.
Last year’s export volume represents a significant jump on the 88,000t shipped in 2024 and the 87,000t seen in 2023.
Much of this growth had come in the latter end of 2025 and exports have ran at roughly double 2024 and 2023 levels since last October.
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Brazilian authorities pledged to stump up guarantees that its meat complies with EU antimicrobial rules ahead of September’s introduction of new EU food import rules that could see Brazilian meat banned.
The vow follows last week’s decision of EU member states to provisionally remove Brazil from the list of countries that will be eligible to export meat and animal foods to the EU from 3 September.
The European Commission has said that Brazil does not currently comply with EU rules that ban the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters and that prevent antimicrobials reserved for human use for treating livestock.
These rules have applied to EU farmers for some years and will apply to imported agri-food goods from September.
“The Brazilian government will promptly take all necessary measures to reverse this decision, reinstate its status on the list of authorised countries, and ensure the continued flow of these products to the European market, to which it has exported for 40 years,” Brazil’s foreign ministry said last week.
“It is worth noting that, at the moment, Brazilian exports of animal products are proceeding normally,” the statement said, adding that the move had come as a “surprise”.
Time lag anticipated
However, the indications from Brussels that animals will have had to be subject to compliant antimicrobial regimes to be deemed eligible for export could scupper Brazil’s chances at having its beef eligible for shipment to the EU before the 3 September deadline.
The Commission said that the relevant rules must have been applied across “the entire lifetime of the exported animals or the animals that the exported products originate from” meaning that it could be two years for prime to be readmitted onto the export eligibility list after evidence that a compliant system is in place has been received by the EU.
Brazil exported almost 120,000t of beef in carcase weight equivalent to the EU in 2025, according to Commission figures.
Last year’s export volume represents a significant jump on the 88,000t shipped in 2024 and the 87,000t seen in 2023.
Much of this growth had come in the latter end of 2025 and exports have ran at roughly double 2024 and 2023 levels since last October.
Read more
'Surprise': September's looming EU meat import ban caught Brazil off guard
Potential EU ban on meat imports from Brazil
Brussels’ threat to ban Brazilian meat is an ‘important first step’ – IFA
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