The European Commission said discussions with Brazil are "ongoing" ahead of an expected halt to Brazilian beef and poultry exports next week.

In May, it was confirmed that Brazil would no longer be allowed to export a range of animal products to the EU from September 3.

The move came after member states voted to exclude Brazil from an updated list of third countries authorised to export food-producing animals and animal products to the EU.

This includes exports of beef, poultry, eggs honey and casings from the South American country.

In order to be included on this list, the commission said Brazil must ensure compliance with EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials for the entire lifetime of the animals that the exported products originate from.

A spokesperson for the EU Commission told Agriland: "We are discussing with Brazilian authorities regarding compliance with EU requirements on the use of antimicrobials in animals.

"We will not comment on the discussions while they are ongoing".

The spokesperson did not respond to a question on whether extension to next week's deadline would be possible.

The suspension would come just four months since the provisional application of the EU-Mercosur Interim Trade Agreement.

Audit

EU officials are currently carrying out an audit in at production sites in Brazil, which is focused on poultry and honey only.

"Due to the duration of the production cycles for the various animal species, the dates on which Brazil may be able to certify compliance with EU requirements for the different species differs.

"For the other commodities not included in the scope of the audit, either Brazil cannot provide the required lifetime guarantees at the time of the audit (e.g. beef, eggs) or exports to the union are de facto not authorised (e.g. aquaculture)," the spokesperson said.

The commission confirmed to Agriland that the audit by the EU's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) will conclude on September 4.

As the audit will not be completed ahead of the upcoming deadline, it is now likely that Brazilian poultry exports to the EU may be stopped for a period of time.

Should the audit outcome be positive, the commission "may consider proposing an amendment to the list of authorised third countries in order to reinclude Brazil for poultry, and/or honey".

Any such proposal would be submitted for a vote by the member states in standing committee.

The next scheduled meeting of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee) covering import conditions is due to take place on September 17-18.

The spokesperson noted that the outcome of the audit "cannot be anticipated and at this stage and the commission cannot provide any tentative timeline".

Brazil

Brazil is the top external supplier of agricultural goods to the EU, with these imports valued at €18.2 billion in 2025.

Up to the end of May, over 64,000 tonnes of beef from Brazil was imported into the EU, according to data from Eurostat. This compares to 36,600 tonnes in the first five months of 2025.

Poultry imports from Brazil stood at almost 155,000 tonnes (carcass weight) to the end of April this year, up 32% on the same period last year.

Brazil previously said it had submitted "robust technical documentation" to the EU on official inspection mechanisms and government guarantees for each of the production chains covered by European regulations.

"Brazil has not requested any relaxation of European sanitary regulations," the country's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), said in a statement.

"The Brazilian state's commitment has always been to fully meet the requirements established by importing markets, as it has done for decades," it added.

Beef

Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) president Francie Gorman said that the EU ban on Brazilian beef and poultry imports "will proceed next week".

“If meat from Brazil is to meet the standards for antibiotic usage, there will have to be fundamental changes to their production systems and infrastructure to support this," he said.

Gorman said the ban on Brazilian beef entering the EU offers "real opportunities" for Irish beef over the coming months to fill the gap.

"Factories must take full advantage and move to ensure this is returned in higher beef prices as we face into the back end of the year, and over the next two to three years," he said.

Trade

In its latest global beef quarterly report, RaboBank said the EU is one of the most attractive destinations for Brazilian beef from a value perspective.

"Tighter beef supplies could place renewed upward pressure on prices, particularly if EU imports of Brazilian beef are suspended from September 3," it said.

The report noted that as there is no national antimicrobial monitoring and surveillance system currently in place in Brazil, "most market participants see little chance of compliance being demonstrated before the deadline".

"A disruption to Brazilian access would create a gap in the European market and could open opportunities for competing exporters, particularly other Mercosur suppliers," the bank added.

If the ban is implemented, around 10,000 MT per month of Brazilian beef would need to find alternative markets.

Farmers in the UK have already voiced concerns that Brazilian beef exports may be redirected to that market.

Farm organisations in the UK and Northern Ireland have also called on the UK government to introduce a precautionary ban on Brazilian beef and poultry imports unless Brazil can show it is using antibiotics responsibly.