Brussels: The European Commission has announced that Brazilian beef and several other animal-based products will be banned from entering the European Union from September 3 if Brazil fails to comply with EU regulations on antibiotic use in animals.
Brazil is currently the only Mercosur country excluded from the EU’s approved list of exporting nations under the revised regulations.
Under EU law introduced in 2022, antimicrobials cannot be used to promote animal growth or increase production yields. The legislation also prohibits the use of antibiotics intended for humans in animal treatment. These measures form a key part of the EU’s “One Health” strategy aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is considered a major global public health threat.
Inspections carried out by the European Commission and other monitoring bodies found that Brazil was not fully complying with these requirements. Following the findings, the Commission removed Brazil from the updated list of countries approved to export animal products to the EU. The revised list includes 21 newly approved countries and five previously approved nations.
A spokesperson for the European Commission said there would be “no compromise” on food safety and public health standards.
“There can be no shortcuts on the serious issue of human and animal health,” the spokesperson stated.
Commission spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova confirmed that Brazil would not be permitted to export products such as beef, horse meat, poultry, eggs, aquaculture products, honey and casings to EU member states unless it meets the bloc’s legal requirements.
The issue of antibiotic use in Brazilian beef production had been a major concern for the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) and the Irish government during negotiations on the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which came into provisional effect on May 1.
IFA Welcomes Decision
The IFA welcomed the Commission’s move, describing it as an important first step in addressing concerns surrounding antimicrobial resistance.
IFA President Francie Gorman said the decision demonstrated that the European Commission was taking the risks associated with excessive antibiotic use in Brazilian agriculture seriously.
An earlier investigation conducted jointly by the IFA and the Irish Farmers Journal alleged widespread and loosely regulated antibiotic use in parts of Brazil’s farming sector. The report claimed that regulations in several Brazilian states allowed antibiotics to be purchased freely and in large quantities.
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