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Brazil’s ambassador to the European Union has warned that the EU’s ban on imports of Brazilian meat risks undoing key aspects of the EU-Mercosur trade deal, fuelling a “reversal of expectations” in Brazil and mounting frustration among the country’s producers.
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The European Commission suspended imports of meat and other food products from Brazil last week over concerns about antimicrobial substances used in production, in a move that impacts millions of euros’ worth of Brazilian exports.
Ambassador Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva told Euronews that the ban targets “sensitive products” which Brazil and other South American negotiators made significant concessions to include in the EU-Mercosur trade deal signed earlier this year, and which are subject to steep quotas.
“If we stop exporting bovine meat, poultry, honey, we are losing. There is a reversal of expectations of what we thought the [EU-Mercosur] agreement was going to be for us,” the ambassador said, explaining that while the suspension is not related to the quality of Brazilian food exports, there is a risk it could be “distorted” as part of an ongoing “disinformation campaign against Brazil” and its production standards.
“And all this, I think, does a lot of harm to the EU-Brazil relation, and it also creates a problem in terms of the EU Mercosur agreement,” the ambassador added.
An EU audit of Brazilian poultry and meat production was completed last Friday, but the preliminary results are yet to be disclosed. A European Commission spokesperson has said that if the audit results are positive, Brazil could be reinstated to a list of countries considered compliant and authorised to export to the EU.
Yet the Commission says Brasília has not provided the guarantees that would allow for an audit of its beef to take place, in a major setback for Brazilian producers. Beef exports to the EU amounted to around $1 billion (€860 million) in 2025.
Ambassador bets on ‘dialogue’
While President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s agriculture ministry has issued a statement saying it could weigh reciprocal measures unless the ban is lifted, Ambassador Costa e Silva expressed faith that ongoing negotiations could lead to a resolution.
“We prefer dialogue, we prefer cooperation, but if we need to go down another road, we will,” he said.
Industry groups in Brazil have said the measures fail to recognise the high standards of Brazilian products.
The Brazilian government is understood to have recently stepped up talks with EU officials in a bid to reach a deal quickly and reverse the bans.
The dispute follows the implementation of the free trade deal between the EU and the four Mercosur countries – Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay – in May this year, despite fierce opposition from EU farmers.
Brazilian exports of meat became a flashpoint in campaigns against the deal, which saw farmers take to European streets in protest.
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