The European Union will send Brazil a list of additional information to be answered on health issues involving the export of products of animal origin, after the bloc removed the country from the list of suppliers of animal products as of September 3. Brazil will have around two weeks to return the information for reanalysis by the European bloc, reported the Secretary of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Luis Rua.
“The EU agreed to stratify the issues by type of protein, as they are different stages and different forms of production. They will also send a list of information so that Brazil can provide additional guarantees of compliance with the antimicrobial regulation,” Rua told Broadcast AgroGrupo Estado’s real-time news system.
The issue was agreed in a meeting between Brazil’s ambassador to the European Union, Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG Sante).
“There was a commitment on the part of the EU to analyze the issue quickly. With an analysis based on science and rationality, we will be able to return Brazil to the list”, added Rua.
On Tuesday (12), the EU published an update to the list of countries authorized to export animals and products of animal origin to the bloc, excluding Brazil from the group of nations that comply with requirements against the use of antimicrobials in livestock farming.
The measure, validated by Member States, establishes which countries will be able to continue accessing the European market from September 3, 2026, based on Regulation (EU) 2019/6.
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Brazil will need to provide guarantees about the non-use of these substances for growth or yield purposes, according to the European health decision.
The decision follows the result of the vote carried out within the scope of the Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed of the European Commission, which approved an update to this list. The measure covers meat, eggs, honey and animals.
Now, the Brazilian government, which has been negotiating the issue since October last year with the EU, is seeking to reverse the measure before it comes into force on September 3rd. Brazil exports around US$1.8 billion a year in proteins to the EU.
In Brazil, Rua met with the ambassador of the European Union (EU) in the country, Marian Schuegraf, to discuss the issue this Wednesday morning. “We expressed our surprise and dissatisfaction with the way the measure was taken and our interest in finding a solution. Negotiations progressed well with the EU’s commitment to rapid analysis”, he pointed out. “We reinforce the request for priority to re-analyze the case and that Brazil deserves to be treated as a good commercial partner”, he reported.
The additional information to be requested by the European bloc is of an animal health nature and is related to Brazil’s presentation of evidence of traceability and segregation in production destined for the European bloc.
There is no deadline for the EU to re-analyze the issue. In the Brazilian government’s analysis, the review of the measure does not require a new audit by the bloc of the national health system, being restricted to the exchange of documentation.
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