The European Union has suspended imports of Brazilian poultry and other products of animal origin, increasing pressure on the UK Government to take similar action.
The EU restrictions came into force on 3 September after Brazil failed to provide sufficient guarantees that its production complies with EU requirements on antimicrobial use. The rules prohibit products derived from animals treated with antimicrobials reserved for human health, or antibiotics used for growth promotion or yield improvement.
The move follows calls from the NFU and the other UK farming unions for the Government to introduce a precautionary ban on Brazilian beef and poultry imports unless Brazil can demonstrate that it is using antibiotics responsibly.
The four unions have now written to Defra Secretary of State Dame Angela Eagle calling for a UK-wide ban on Brazilian products of animal origin. They warned that failure to act could put public health, farm businesses and confidence in the UK food system at risk.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “There’s a real risk that public confidence in our food system will be undermined if consumers believe GB is importing beef or poultry meat that both EU and non-EU countries have deemed unsafe.”
He added: “Clearly the EU do not have confidence that this [products are safe and do not pose a human health risk] is the case. Their government have banned Brazilian meat – the UK government needs to do the same.”
Brazil is the EU’s largest supplier of chicken, exporting around 211,000 tonnes to the bloc in 2025. The NFU has warned that without equivalent UK restrictions, this product could be redirected to other markets, increasing competition for British producers.
“At the same time, it would distort trade flows with Brazilian meat being diverted onto our market, putting additional pressure on producers in Britain, where the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion has rightly been outlawed for over two decades,” Bradshaw said.
Brazil has introduced tighter antimicrobial rules, including a blanket ban on antimicrobials used for growth promotion, although a transition period applies.