The Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of São Paulo (FAESP) said in a statement this Saturday (6) that it repudiates the decision of the European Union (EU) of honey and by-products of animal origin coming from Brazil and called for “a firmer pulse” on the Brazilian government’s diplomacy.
According to a note signed by Tirso Meirelles, president of the Federation, it is disrespectful that the EU is “changing the rules of the game”. “It is a profound disrespect that, after 25 long years of negotiations between the European Union and Mercosur, with everything agreed and aligned between the parties, the European bloc decides to change the rules of the game on a case-by-case basis.”
The veto of Brazilian products is seen as an “unreasonable and arbitrary safeguard” by FAESP since, according to the entity, there is no technical or scientific reason for the decision.
FAESP also says that this measure is discriminatory since other countries use the same methods to handle processes until the final product. “The European pretext, focused on the use of antibiotics, falls apart in the face of the facts: the herds of direct competitors such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand strictly use the same phytosanitary products and, conveniently, have not suffered any type of restriction, blockade or veto by the EU”, he pointed out.
Regarding the health aspect, FAESP says that the scenario is “indisputable”. “When it comes to health, the scenario is indisputable: the animal health of the Brazilian herd is completely unblemished, being a global reference”.
‘Stronger pulse’
In view of what happened, FAESP asked that the Brazilian federal government have more authority in relation to not accepting the veto. “We demand a firmer hand in its commercial diplomacy. Brazil, historically consolidated as one of the largest meat producers and exporters in the world, cannot passively accept being the target of unfounded geopolitical retaliation”, he wrote.
Furthermore, she also demands that Argentina and Uruguay join Brazil to build a unified regional position that demonstrates the true strength and political-economic weight of Mercosur. “We will not allow them to divide us to weaken us; the bloc needs to respond to this insult”, completed.
The note ends by stating that it is necessary to remember Brazil’s agricultural experience. “It is now up to our diplomacy and our regional allies to impose the respect and sovereignty that our agriculture has achieved on the international stage, consolidating itself as one of the main protagonists of global food security”, he concluded.
What happened?
The European Union (EU) officially removed Brazil from the list of countries authorized to export various products of animal origin to the bloc. The measure, published on Friday, was formalized through Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189 and comes into effect on September 3rd. With the decision, the entry of beef, poultry and equine meat, as well as honey, tripe and aquaculture products from the Brazilian market is prohibited.
The EU’s officialization is a follow-up to a warning issued on May 12, when the bloc released a preliminary list of countries that complied with standards against the excessive use of antibiotics in livestock farming. At the time, the while neighbors such as Argentina, Colombia and Mexico were validated to continue exporting.
At the time, there was an expectation that the Brazilian authorities would be able to provide the necessary guarantees in time, which did not materialize.
The decision published on Friday was based on the non-compliance with health requirements related to control of the use of antibiotics in livestock farming.
