Brazil expected to maintain chicken exports to EU, industry says

European authorities want assurances that Brazilian poultry producers are not using antimicrobials as growth promoters in animal production, nor antibiotics intended for human use. In May, the European Commission removed Brazil from the list of countries eligible to export animal products to the bloc, arguing that Brasília had failed to demonstrate that such substances are not used in production. The restriction is set to take effect on September 3.

According to Santin, the mission will review production destined for the European market at the inspected companies. Feed mills, poultry farms, and processing plants will also be inspected. He said the Brazilian government was already carrying out such inspections, but the EU is seeking a greater number of audits.

Despite the short window between the European mission’s visit and the start of the restrictions, Santin said he believes Brazil should be able to secure authorization from the bloc to keep exporting chicken meat to the European market.

That could happen, he said, if European authorities are satisfied with the information gathered during the mission before the delegation submits its final report. European officials could also opt to convene an extraordinary meeting to discuss the situation after the mission concludes.

“It’s possible for [chicken] exports to resume in September, yes. The European Union has conducted previous visits and has already verified this in day-to-day operations,” he said. “We will keep doing what we’ve always done. We don’t use growth promoters for products exported to the European Union, nor antibiotics intended for human use. Brazilian companies aren’t doing anything different from what they’ve always done. We’ve always kept production segregated,” he added.

If the EU does not authorize exports of the product from September onward, however, Brazil will be able to redirect those volumes to other importers and the domestic market, Santin said. “The EU accounts for 7% of our [chicken] exports. If that market closes, we can distribute those volumes across the more than 150 markets we export to.”

At the press conference, the ABPA president also released projections for the poultry and pork sectors. Brazil is expected to export up to 5.875 million tonnes of chicken in 2026, up 10.3% from last year. For 2027, exports are projected to rise a further 3%, reaching 6.050 million tonnes.

The ABPA also estimated that Brazilian chicken production will grow by as much as 5.6% in 2026, reaching between 16 million and 16.150 million tonnes. Growth is expected to moderate in 2027, with output rising 2.8% to 16.6 million tonnes.

See below at the historical trend of Brazilian chicken meat exports since January 2022. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Brazilian Chicken Meat Exports | Jan 2022 to May 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

According to Santin, the anticipated slowdown in production growth next year reflects several factors. For one, Brazilian households’ indebtedness is limiting consumers’ purchasing power. In addition, efficiency gains in the sector have led some companies to “readjust” production.