05 September 2026
Brazil has made significant progress toward restoring market access for poultry meat and honey in the European Union following the conclusion of an on-site veterinary audit, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) announced on Friday (September 4).
The technical audit, conducted by European sanitary inspectors between August 24 and September 4, evaluated Brazil’s official sanitary controls, laboratory surveillance, and traceability systems. The mission focused specifically on verifying compliance with EU regulations governing the use of antimicrobial medicinal products in animal production, including the prohibition of antimicrobials as growth promoters and restrictions on substances reserved for human medicine. According to MAPA, EU inspectors reviewed official procedures at production facilities and government agencies and deemed the country’s oversight systems satisfactory.
The conclusion of the mission coincides with the entry into force of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1189 on September 3, which temporarily removed Brazil from the list of authorized third countries permitted to export certain products of animal origin, including beef, poultry, eggs, and honey, to the EU. The suspension stemmed from regulatory requirements under Regulation (EU) 2019/6 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/905, which establish requirements for compliance with antimicrobial-use restrictions throughout the production chain.
While shipments remain suspended under the September 3 measure, MAPA emphasized that the satisfactory audit outcome represents a decisive technical step toward Brazil’s reinstatement on the EU list of authorized suppliers.
Before trade in poultry and honey can officially resume, several administrative steps remain. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) must finalize its formal audit report, followed by a review process and a vote by the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee) to amend the relevant third-country annexes. Notably, other suspended sectors, such as beef, were not included in this targeted audit and face a longer pathway to regain access to the EU market.
