The European Commission is on track to implement the ban on Brazilian beef from 3 September 2026. There had been some concern that a middle ground would be found before the deadline.
A source close to the Commission told the Irish Farmers Journal that the EU was on track to impose the ban on Brazilian beef and that the ban would take effect on 3 September.
It is also understood that a number of high-level audits have highlighted issues around antibiotic use and their recording of use in Brazil.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian authorities are still hopeful of a positive outcome ahead of the ban on 3 September, with a proposal of a transition period to be put in place to allow Brazil comply with the regulations.
Renato Costa, chair of the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association, has said that Brazil has shown a degree of “passivity” towards the antimicrobial regulations which have been known for some time.
One of the biggest challenges for the Brazilians will be replacing monensin, an in-feed antibiotic used to improve growth rates and control some diseases.
The Commission source said that the EU is not currently in negotiations with Brazil on the matter and the ban will go ahead as planned.
“In relation to antimicrobial use several times, we have highlighted to the Brazilian authorities that we mean business and we will enforce the rules, but they thought that they could postpone and they also thought in the larger political context that it would be hard for the EU to apply a suspension of imports,” the source said.
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the Brazilian ban on beef would also extend to poultry; however, a shorter supply production chain in poultry production systems could mean that Brazilian chicken could re-enter the EU market quicker than beef.
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