The European Union (EU) has suspended imports of Brazilian beef, poultry and other animal products until Brazil demonstrates that complies with EU rules on antibiotic use in livestock farming.
The French news channel RFI said the measure covers a range of Brazilian exports, including poultry, beef, eggs, honey and animal casings intended for human consumption.
The European Commission maintains Brazil has not yet provided sufficient guarantees that its exports meet EU standards designed to prevent the misuse of antibiotics in livestock. Brazil was added in May to an EU list of countries considered not to be meeting the bloc’s rules on antimicrobial use in livestock.
RFI said that, following an audit of Brazil’s poultry and honey sectors, Brazilian poultry exports to the EU could “resume within weeks”. Approval for beef exports was expected to take longer.
“Brazil is an important partner for the EU and we are working closely, constructively and positively with Brazilian authorities to ensure their compliancewith these requirements,” an EU spokesperson said.
