The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, announced on Monday (31) that the bloc will suspend imports of Brazilian beef and poultry as of Thursday (3). The measure also covers eggs and honey. The EU says Brazil has not provided sufficient guarantees that it complies with European rules on antibiotic use in livestock farming.
The decision formalizes a process opened in May, when Brussels removed Brazil from the list of countries authorized to export to the bloc for failing to prove compliance with the rules on antimicrobials. The act was signed and published in June by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. According to reports by the AFP news agency, the pressure came from Europe's farm sector after the EU signed, in January, a free trade agreement with Mercosur, the South American bloc that includes Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The rules in dispute
European rules ban the use of antibiotics to speed animal growth and restrict antimicrobials reserved for treating infections in humans. The policy is part of the bloc's fight against drug resistance. Citing the World Health Organization, AFP reported that drug-resistant superbugs are directly responsible for more than 1 million deaths a year and contribute to nearly 5 million more.
"Brazil is an important partner for the EU and we are working closely with the Brazilian authorities to ensure compliance with these requirements. Once compliance is demonstrated, exports to the EU can resume," a Commission spokesperson said.
The size of the block
In 2025, Brazil was the EU's second largest beef supplier, shipping more than 92,000 tonnes of bovine products worth over 713 million euros, about R$ 4.29 billion, according to figures cited by AFP. That is the flow that stops on Thursday, along with chicken, eggs and honey.
Brussels gave no timeline for a restart. For poultry and honey, an audit is underway and should be concluded on Friday (4); if the result is positive and member states agree, Brazilian chicken exports could be reauthorized within weeks. For beef, the wait tends to be longer. "Given the duration of production cycles depending on the animal species involved, the date from which Brazil will be in a position to certify its compliance with EU requirements varies by sector," the Commission said.
Contacted by AFP, the Brazilian government did not comment immediately. In May, when the country was removed from the European list, it had said it would take "quickly" all measures needed to reverse the exclusion.
In farm country, the measure is read as a trade barrier. "It is a growth promoter. It helps the ox digest pasture so it gains more weight; it is not to treat a disease," cattle rancher Carlos Roberto dos Santos of Barretos, in São Paulo state, told AFP about the antibiotic questioned by Brussels. Production costs "are much higher there. A European rancher cannot compete with me," he said. For Brazilian producers, the suspension closes the market until compliance is proven; for European consumers, it takes the bloc's second largest beef supplier off the shelves.