Brussels – AVEC welcomes today’s application of the European Union’s decision to suspend imports of Brazilian poultry meat under the EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials in animals and products of animal origin.
Under Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189, Brazil is no longer authorised for poultry and several other animal products because the European Commission had not received sufficient guarantees that the country would comply with the new requirements by 3 September 2026.
For AVEC, this is an important example of reciprocity in practice: poultry meat placed on the EU market must be produced under equivalent requirements concerning antimicrobial use, irrespective of whether it is produced within the EU or imported from a third country.
The decision is neither sudden nor disproportionate. The requirements for exporting countries were formally established in 2023, giving Brazil more than three years to put the necessary legislation, traceability and official controls in place. Meanwhile, EU producers have operated under a complete ban on antibiotics as growth promoters since 1 January 2006.
“Today we see what reciprocity means in practice,” said Birthe Steenberg, Secretary General of AVEC. “European poultry producers have complied with the ban on antibiotic growth promoters for more than twenty years. It is only fair – and essential to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance – that imported poultry meat is supported by equally robust guarantees.”
The suspension does not mean that all Brazilian poultry meat is unsafe or non-compliant. It reflects the fact that Brazil has not yet demonstrated that its official control system can reliably guarantee that poultry exported to the EU is produced without antimicrobials used for growth promotion or yield increase, and without antimicrobials reserved in the EU for treating certain human infections.
Brazil introduced a new traceability and control system concerning antimicrobial use on 1 July 2026, after its access to the EU market had been put at risk. This response demonstrates that reciprocity can encourage third countries to improve their production practices and control systems.
“This is precisely why reciprocity matters,” added Steenberg. “It is not about closing the European market, but about using access to that market to encourage better practices, protect public health and ensure fair competition.”
AVEC understands that the Commission audit of Brazilian poultry and honey production, launched on 24 August, is currently being completed. The association looks forward to its findings and asks the Commission to provide transparency regarding the next steps and the possible timetable for relisting.
Brazilian poultry should be relisted only once the Commission has verified that the new system is fully operational in practice. Poultry’s relatively short production cycle may allow Brazil to demonstrate compliance more quickly than in the beef sector, but it must not lead to a lower verification threshold. “If shortcomings remain, the suspension should be maintained until corrective measures have been implemented and verified,” concludes Steenberg.
The Brazil case should serve as a model for EU enforcement. Documentary assurances must be supported by risk-based on-site audits, and the same scrutiny must apply consistently to all major suppliers, including through strict follow-up to Commission audit findings concerning countries such as China.
Reciprocity must not remain a political commitment on paper. It must protect public health, support the global fight against antimicrobial resistance and ensure fair competition for EU producers.
-ENDS-
For further information, please contact:
Birthe Steenberg, Secretary General
Email: bs@avec-poultry.eu
Maria Nikolaidi, Communications Manager
Email: mn@avec-poultry.eu, Tel: +32468224193