EU mission to assess Brazil’s poultry, honey companies

The mission will be in Brazil on September 3, the date scheduled for a ban on exports of poultry, beef, honey, and fish products to take effect. In May, the EU announced that it was removing Brazil from its list of exporters authorized to ship animal products to the bloc, arguing that Brazil had failed to demonstrate adequate controls on antimicrobial use in the production chains.

In the poultry industry, expectations are that the audit will go well. Sources speaking on condition of anonymity said the officials are likely to see practices that companies have already followed for a long time, including segregating animals destined for Europe and refraining from using antimicrobials as growth promoters. Whether Brazil is reinstated on the list of authorized exporters will be a consequence of the mission and a decision solely for European authorities, people familiar with the matter say.

There is therefore a possibility that sales could be interrupted, even if only briefly. Official inspection teams at meatpacking plants have already been instructed not to certify, as of September 3, products that do not comply with European regulations governing antimicrobial use.

Brazil’s return to the list of authorized exporters depends on a decision by the European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food, and Feed (Scopaff). Extraordinary meetings could be held, but the next regular meeting is scheduled for November, one source said.

According to foreign trade data obtained by Datamar, Brazil exported 7,131 TEUs of chicken meat to the 27 European Union countries in the first half of 2026, nearly 50% more than in the same period a year earlier. The chart below shows the detailed monthly figures:

Chicken Meat Exports to the EU | H1 2022-2026 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The European officials will meet with the Agriculture Ministry in Brasília starting this Monday (24) and then visit four poultry companies in Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul that are authorized to export to the EU. They will also inspect apiaries in Paraná and a honey-processing facility in the interior of São Paulo, as well as state agricultural inspection agencies. The officials will remain in Brazil through September 4, when they will hold a concluding meeting in Brasília.

Source: Valor International