Brazilian beef and poultry have been banned from entering the EU as of this Thursday, following the Mercosur nation’s failure to meet strict EU food safety standards. The South American country is currently unable to prove compliance with EU rules on antimicrobial use in food-producing animals.

A European Commission spokesperson has said that it does not have the “guarantees of compliance” with the rules, but that it continues to work closely with the Brazilian authorities on access.

The move to delist Brazil from the approved list of countries for export to the EU came a number of months after it emerged that Brazilian beef containing a banned hormone had entered the EU food chain. Prior to that, in October 2025, the Irish Farmers Journal and the IFA travelled to Brazil, where they visited farms, agricultural supply stores and marts.

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During that trip, prescription-only antibiotics were purchased over the counter without any form of identification or proof that the antibiotic was needed, exposing the lack of traceability on antibiotic use on farms and feedlots.

IFA president Francie Gorman said that it is “a significant day for public health and should reassure consumers that standards are being upheld”.

Brazil exported just shy of 50,000t of beef to the EU in the first half of the year, an increase from just over 30,000t in the same period in 2025.