EU Does Not Confirm Resumption of Poultry and Honey Imports from Brazil, While Guarantees Are Lacking for Beef

The European Commission has not confirmed the resumption of poultry meat and honey imports from Brazil and is awaiting the experts’ report before proposing any possible reauthorisation. The audit completed last week covered only these two product categories, and any change to the relevant list of authorised countries would require approval from the Member States. For beef, Brussels says it has not received the necessary guarantees regarding compliance with European requirements on antimicrobials.

In brief The audit report on poultry meat and honey is being prepared, and the Commission has not confirmed any favourable conclusions. A positive outcome would allow a reauthorisation proposal to be put forward, which must be approved by the Member States. Beef was not included in the audit, and the requested guarantees must cover the animals’ entire lifetime. The Commission has not provided a timetable for publishing the report or resuming imports.

European Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova explained in Brussels that experts must prepare the mission report before the results can be presented. She was responding to a question about claims by Brazilian authorities that the audit had validated the products assessed. The Commission did not confirm this assessment and said the report would be published once finalised.

The completion of the audit represents one stage in the verification procedure. If the result is favourable, the Commission may propose amending the list of countries that meet European requirements on antimicrobials for the products concerned. The proposal must then be approved by the Member States, meaning that the experts’ visit does not amount to immediate authorisation to resume exports.

For beef, the issue of guarantees remains unresolved. Hrncirova said that the cattle sector was not part of the recent mission and that Brazilian authorities had not provided the compliance guarantees requested by the Commission. The audit’s conclusions on poultry and honey therefore cannot cover this sector.

The requirement explained by the Commission concerns compliance with restrictions on antimicrobials throughout the animals’ lifetime. Hrncirova noted that this period is shorter for poultry than for cattle. Asked whether the situation regarding beef could remain unresolved in the coming months, she did not confirm such a timetable and reiterated that the necessary guarantees were lacking.

European restrictions concern specific uses of antimicrobials in animal production. Their use to promote growth or increase yield is not permitted, and animals may not be treated with antimicrobials reserved for certain infections in humans. Exporting countries must provide guarantees that these conditions are being observed for the products concerned to access the EU market.

The Commission continues discussions with the Brazilian authorities, but immediate activity is focused on the audit carried out for poultry and honey. No new mission for beef and no date for reassessing this sector were announced at the briefing. For the products already audited, the next step is to finalise the report and examine the experts’ conclusions.

European requirements on antimicrobials applicable to imports came into force on 3 September. The relevant list of exporting countries is based on the Commission’s assessment of compliance with the rules and the guarantees provided by national authorities, while the Member States participate in approving it.

The measures are part of the EU’s efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance and protect the effectiveness of treatments. Authorisation of exports is linked to compliance with restrictions on the use of these substances in animals intended for food production.