This decision was made at a time when Brazilian meat imports are one of the main points of contention regarding the free trade agreement signed in January 2026 by the Commission with the South American Common Market (“Mercosur”) countries – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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EU farmers accuse Latin American producers of not complying with the bloc’s phytosanitary and food safety standards, claiming that this gives Latin American products an unfair advantage in the EU market.
“We have rules that prohibit antimicrobial substances or their use to promote growth,” said Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova. “On September 3, a list of countries that essentially comply with our antimicrobial use rules will come into effect.” The spokesperson added that Brazil is currently not on this list, which means its imports have been suspended since Thursday.
No guarantees for beef
The import suspension, voted on by national experts in May, applies to beef, poultry, eggs, and honey.
Imports of some products could be resumed after an audit of poultry and honey, initiated based on written compliance guarantees provided by Brazil. The audit is expected to last until the end of the week, although more time will be needed to prepare the conclusions.
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Hrncirova said that no such guarantees were provided for beef and added that they must cover the entire life cycle of the animals, which in the case of cattle is understandably longer.
Brazil’s ambassador to the EU, Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, told Euronews before summer that technical discussions with the Commission are ongoing. However, Brazil ultimately failed to prevent the import suspension from taking effect.
Trade in agricultural products was the most contentious issue throughout the 25 years of negotiations on the Mercosur agreement.
The agreement was provisionally applied in May, after the European Parliament suspended the ratification process and referred a legal question to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
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