European poultry trade body AVEC has called for a delay to a European Commission vote on restoring Brazil’s authorisation to export poultry meat to the EU, amid a sharp rise in imports.
Brazil shipped approximately 312,000 tonnes of poultry meat to the EU in the first nine months of 2026, around 34% more than the 233,000 tonnes recorded for the whole of 2025. Imports also increased by 44% year on year in the first half of 2026, according to European Commission figures.
The Commission is expected to consider an update to its list of authorised exporting countries on 16-17 November, potentially allowing Brazil to resume poultry exports following restrictions linked to EU antimicrobial rules.
AVEC is urging the Commission to postpone the vote until Member States receive additional, independently verified guarantees that Brazil can comply with EU requirements.
It has raised concerns over whether controls are effective throughout birds’ lifetimes, including feed sampling, hatchery checks and the separation of poultry destined for the EU market.
The organisation said the large volumes shipped around the 3 September antimicrobial deadline included poultry meat which did not comply with the new EU antimicrobial rules, although it stressed the consignments met food safety requirements and presented no consumer health risk.