Brazil contests EU planned suspension on “animal” product imports

Brazil is seeking to reverse an EU determination to suspend exports of “animal” root from the South American state linked to restrictions connected anti-microbial substances.

Government representatives are gathering with their EU counterparts contiguous (13 May) aft receiving announcement yesterday that Brazil had been removed from the database of those “authorised to export carnal products intended for quality consumption” from 3 September.

A associated connection from Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFE), its Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) noted “surprise” astatine the announcement.

“The Brazilian authorities volition promptly instrumentality each indispensable measures to reverse this decision, reinstate its presumption connected the database of authorised countries, and guarantee the continued travel of these products to the European market, to which it has exported for 40 years,” yesterday’s connection read.

The Brazilian ministries said the EU determination was taken yesterday by mode of a ballot by the European Commission's Standing Committee connected Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, which “approved an update to this list”.

That update was acknowledged by the Commission successful its rolling regular quality update yesterday, though Brazil was not specifically named.

“Under EU rules, the usage of anti-microbials successful livestock for maturation oregon output purposes is not allowed, nor tin animals beryllium treated with anti-microbials reserved for quality infections,” the Commission said.

“The database of 3rd countries which comply with EU requirements and truthful tin export food-producing animals to the EU, volition beryllium formally adopted successful the coming days, and the rules connected imports volition use from 3 September 2026.”

Contacted by Just Food today, the Commission provided immoderate further accusation pertaining to Brazil from spokesperson Eva Hrncirova.

“The Commission confirms that Brazil is not included successful the list, meaning that it tin nary longer export to the EU commodities (both nutrient producing unrecorded animals and derived products) specified arsenic bovine, equine, poultry, eggs, aquaculture, chromatic and casings, with effect arsenic from 3 September 2026,” Hrncirova said.

To comply with EU rules, Brazil “must guarantee compliance with the Union requirements connected the usage of anti-microbials for the full beingness of the animals that the exported products originate from”, Hrncirova added.

According to the UK-based Microbiology Society, anti-microbial is an “umbrella word for thing that inhibits oregon kills microbes including antibiotics, antifungals, and antivirals”.