Brazilian Beef Could Stay Out of EU for at Least Two Years Under Antimicrobial Rules

Brazilian beef could remain shut out of the European Union for at least two years under the bloc's new antimicrobial import rules, according to a senior European Commission food safety official speaking to lawmakers in Brussels.

Klaus Berend, a director in the European Commission's Directorate General for Health and Food Safety, told the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee that the two year period reflects the production cycle of Brazilian cattle. No formal date has been set for Brazilian beef to regain access.

The statement adds a much longer time horizon to a trade restriction that took effect on September 3. Under Article 118 of the EU veterinary medicines regulation, non EU suppliers must demonstrate that animals and animal products destined for the European market comply with rules prohibiting antimicrobials for growth promotion and restricting certain medicines reserved for human treatment.

Brazil was removed from the list of countries authorised under the new antimicrobial framework after the European Commission concluded that the guarantees submitted for several animal product chains were not yet sufficient. The restriction affects a major agricultural exporter and has disrupted trade in beef, poultry and other animal products.

The outlook now differs sharply by product. A recent European Commission audit found Brazil's control system effective for broiler poultry meat and apiculture products, creating a route toward possible reauthorisation for poultry and honey. Beef remains a separate and more difficult file.

The difference is important because cattle production involves a much longer traceability period. If the Commission requires guarantees covering animals throughout their production life, beef exporters cannot resolve the issue simply by changing procedures at slaughter or certification points.

Brazil's agriculture ministry has said throughout the dispute that it is seeking full compliance with European requirements rather than weaker rules, and that it has supplied technical documentation on official controls across the affected animal product chains. The two sides have remained in technical discussions since before the September suspension.

For the beef trade, the latest signal means the disruption may be structural rather than temporary. Any return to the EU market will depend on formal Commission assessment and member state procedures, so the two year indication should be treated as a minimum time frame described by an EU official, not as a confirmed reopening date.