Brazilian Beef to Re-enter EU in 2027(Sep 20)
Brazilian Beef Expected to Return to EU Market Next Year
Roberto Perosa, Chairman of the Brazilian Meat Export Industry Association (ABIEC), recently stated that Brazilian beef is expected to resume exports to the European Union in the first half of 2027.
According to a report by Brazilian news website brasil247 on September 17, Perosa addressed the issue of the suspension of Brazilian beef exports to the EU during a meeting held at the ABIEC headquarters in Sao Paulo. He said: "I personally believe that we will not be able to resolve this issue before the end of this year, but we hope to advance a resolution in the first half of next year."
The relevant EU restrictions took effect on September 3. From that date, the EU began implementing a new set of regulations related to antimicrobial drug use standards for imports of animal and animal-derived products. Supplying countries must provide certification documents demonstrating compliance with the relevant requirements in order to continue exporting to the EU.
Due to its failure to submit sufficient evidence of compliance with the new regulations within the prescribed deadline, Brazil has been removed from the EU's list of approved supplying countries for beef, chicken, eggs, fish, and honey.
Regarding beef, the EU requires exporters to prove that cattle fully comply with specific antimicrobial drug usage regulations throughout their entire life cycle. The EU recently sent a delegation to Brazil for inspection, but only completed compliance assessments for the poultry and honey supply chains, without covering beef cattle farming.
In June this year, the Brazilian government proposed a transitional plan stipulating that, initially, exporters would only need to prove that cattle had not used EU-banned products during the final nine months of their lives, with the compliance traceability period to be extended year by year thereafter, aiming to achieve full life-cycle medication compliance certification by 2029. However, this plan was not accepted by the relevant EU authorities.
Perosa explained that meat processing companies, beef cattle farmers, and certification bodies subsequently developed a new agreement to meet EU requirements. The new agreement has been submitted to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and only a limited number of relevant companies have joined so far. ABIEC and the Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) are currently encouraging more companies to join the agreement.
The association also recommended that the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock dispatch experts to conduct on-site inspections of Brazilian cattle ranches to verify relevant operational procedures. Perosa noted that the EU has not yet sent a dedicated delegation to conduct a final assessment of the beef cattle farming sector.
The negotiation strategy proposed by the Brazilian meat industry is divided into two phases. The first phase aims to push the EU to reinstate Brazil on the list of approved exporting countries; subsequently, the Brazilian government will negotiate with the EU to establish a transitional mechanism allowing Brazil to resume beef exports before completing full life-cycle compliance certification for beef cattle.
Perosa stated: "We hope that once the EU indicates, 'Yes, we recognize and trust the verification of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture,' we can obtain a transitional period and thereby resume export trade." He pointed out that if adjustments are made entirely in accordance with the EU's current regulations, given the long production cycle of beef cattle, resuming exports could take approximately two years.
