Brazil Meat Left Out of EU Suppliers List in Risk to Trade

(Bloomberg) -- Leia em português.

Brazil is absent from a list of countries authorized to supply animal products to the European Union, presenting a trade risk to the world’s largest beef and chicken exporter.

The European Union on Tuesday published an updated list of countries that comply with its rules against the excessive use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals. It did not include Brazil.

The list is currently meant for information purposes and has no legal effects. Still, it will be “formally adopted” in the coming days, the European Commission said on its website, adding that rules on imports will apply from Sept. 3. 

Brazil will no longer be allowed to export unless it demonstrates compliance to rules, spokesperson Eva Hrncirova said. 

“We have closely engaged with the Brazilian authorities on this issue and will continue contact to work toward their compliance with these requirements,” Hrncirova said. Markets affected include live animals and products from bovine, equine, poultry, eggs, aquaculture, honey and casings, the spokesperson added. 

Brazil’s Animal Protein Association, a group that gathers poultry and pork exporters, said in a Tuesday note that the country “fully complies” with EU rules and that the country is looking to demonstrate compliance to sanitary authorities. Exports aren’t yet suspended, ABPA added. The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the European Commission, the bloc’s rules ban the use of antimicrobials in livestock for growth or yield purposes. Animals are also not allowed to be treated with antimicrobials reserved for human infections.

The EU and Brazil are important trade partners. Still, shipments of beef to the bloc amounted to only 4% of Brazil’s beef exports in the first quarter of 2026 according to data from the Agriculture Ministry. For chicken, that share is equivalent to 8%.

--With assistance from Daniel Carvalho, Agnieszka de Sousa and Suzanne Lynch.

(Adds comments from European spokesperson and from Brazil industry group ABPA starting in fourth paragraph.)

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