Published on 04/09/2026 – 14:51 GMT+2
Brazil’s EU ambassador, Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, told Euronews that an inspection of Brazilian meat was unnecessary and warned that Brasília could retaliate against the European Union’s import ban. The EU halted beef imports after removing Brazil from its list of countries meeting food‑safety standards, citing the use of antibiotics to promote animal growth.
The European Commission’s decision entered into force this week. While audits of Brazilian poultry and honey are ongoing, the Commission said Brazil had not provided guarantees to allow a beef audit. In response, the Brazilian government threatened countermeasures, describing the EU’s treatment as unfair.
Sufficient guarantees
“There wasn’t a need for an audit, not for poultry, not for honey, not for bovine meat, because no audits were conducted for the other countries,” said da Costa e Silva. “We have provided sufficient guarantees.” He added that Brazil would continue discussions with the Commission but that “all options were on the table” if imports did not resume, hinting at creative countermeasures.
The EU’s deputy Chief Spokesperson, Olof Gill, pushed back against the accusation of discrimination. “Our approach is non‑discriminatory, and we have given our partners sufficient time and all the information they need to adjust,” Gill stated. He emphasized that food‑safety rules are a top priority for EU citizens and that third countries have long been informed of these standards.
The dispute coincides with the provisional entry into force of a free‑trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur bloc (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay) in May, despite opposition from EU farmers concerned about non‑compliant agricultural products.
The EU introduced new regulations in 2018 to combat antimicrobial resistance, applied to EU producers since 2022 and to foreign importers from Thursday onward.
