Brazil eases export rules to safeguard meat shipments to Middle East

Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry has introduced temporary emergency measures to ensure animal protein exports to the Middle East continue amid the armed conflict in the region, responding to requests from poultry exporters.

The measures include extending the validity of sanitary certificates, allowing the internal relocation of shipments that were unable to be exported, permitting documentation changes to redirect exports to new destinations and authorizing temporary storage in refrigerated containers.

The aim is to minimize disruptions to cargo flows. The measures allow exporters, for example, to use alternative transport routes by sea or land — an option Brazilian meat processors are considering to maintain shipments to the region, which accounted for about 30% of the sector’s export sales in 2025.

The following breakdown illustrates the monthly performance of Brazilian beef exports to the Middle East. The data covers the period from January 2023 to January 2026 and reflects Datamar’s surveyed figures obtained via its DataLiner platform:

Beef Exports to the Middle East | Jan 2023 – Jan 2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Brazil exported roughly 1.5 million tonnes of meat products to Middle Eastern countries last year, generating $3.2 billion in revenue.

The Agriculture Ministry authorized five emergency and temporary actions through a circular issued by the Department of Animal Products Inspection (Dipoa) and the Department of Technical Services (Dtec) under the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense.

The request had been submitted earlier in the week by the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA). About 200,000 containers are shipped annually from Brazil to the Gulf region — roughly 250 to 300 containers per day, according to the association.

Certificate validity extended

The ministry expanded the validity of cargo transit documents, setting a 360-day validity period for both international and domestic sanitary certificates and 60 days for the Declaration of Animal Products (DCPOA). The authorization applies to documents already issued as well as those yet to be issued and covers cargo already shipped and currently in transit.

However, the ministry prohibited the revalidation of international sanitary certificates during this period. The circular also states that responsibility for ensuring proper preservation, traceability, identification and cargo integrity remains with the product owner.

Authorities also authorized shipments already certified for export but unable to be shipped to be redirected to federally inspected establishments without the need to issue a new domestic certificate. The rule applies to cargo already located at ports, airports, border posts or customs facilities that did not proceed to international transit.

These shipments may then be reexamined and certified for export to other destinations. Authorities will require full documentation and verification upon unloading, and cargo must remain sealed and refrigerated.

The ministry said official reinspections could overwhelm technical teams and that the large number of shipments already certified for export could exceed the operational capacity of inspection units if new certificates had to be issued.

Temporary container storage allowed

The government also authorized the temporary storage of finished products in refrigerated containers — a measure previously adopted in 2025 when several markets were temporarily closed after Brazil reported cases of avian influenza.

The ministry described the measure as exceptional for the duration of the conflict. Companies will be required to maintain auditable controls over stored cargo to ensure temperature maintenance, sanitary conditions and full product traceability.

Authorities also extended the deadline for submitting the original international sanitary certificate from 30 days to 120 days. The rules also allow the replacement of certificates when cargo is redirected to destinations with stricter sanitary requirements.

The replacement will only be allowed if all requirements of the new destination country are fully met and documented throughout the production, slaughter and processing stages.

Industry welcomes move

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association welcomed the measures, saying they were designed to mitigate potential logistical disruptions affecting shipments to the Middle East.

“This is a proactive and preventive initiative built on Brazil’s experience in dealing with past disruptions in international trade,” the association said in a statement.

The measures are intended to give exporters more operational flexibility to adjust logistics in case of route changes or shipping delays without compromising cargo integrity or sanitary standards, ABPA said.

Roberto Kaefer, head of the Paraná Poultry Industry Union (Sindiavipar), said the authorization to store products in containers was particularly important.

“It is more than fair and necessary. Companies could soon run out of cold storage space inside processing plants because it is still unclear which shipments will be able to leave on vessels,” he said. “Now they can load containers, move them to the port and wait for shipments.”

He added that freight and insurance costs for exports have already risen because of the conflict.

“The situation means we don’t yet know exactly which countries we will be shipping to or which routes will be used. Every day we reassess demand and check logistics options with shipping companies,” he said.

The ministry noted that international shipping routes critical to Brazil’s meat exports have been affected by the conflict and warned that disruptions could lead to the accumulation of finished products in processing plants registered with Dipoa, requiring transfers to storage facilities certified under the federal inspection system.

Technical officials also said several shipments already certified with international sanitary certificates were unable to be exported to their original destinations because of restrictions linked to the conflict.

Brazil’s inspection rules allow special certification and inspection procedures to be adopted during major disruptions, based on technical assessments and under the responsibility of official authorities.

The Agriculture Ministry said the measures may be revoked or modified at any time depending on developments in the international situation.

Source: Globo Rural

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