20 August 2026
Mexico’s National Poultry Farmers Union (UNA) is urging the federal government to eliminate zero-tariff exemptions on Brazilian poultry and replace them with tariff-rate quotas, citing severe domestic market disruption.
According to customs data, imports of boneless chicken breast from Brazil jumped 118% between 2022 and 2025, surpassing 196,000 tons, resulting in cumulative losses exceeding MX27 billion (approx. US$1.58 billion) for domestic producers over the past year and stalling the creation of more than 40,700 jobs.
UNA argues that duty-free exemptions, originally enacted in 2022 as an anti-inflationary measure, failed to lower consumer prices, with profit margins captured primarily by intermediaries. Domestic producers also face growing risks of further oversupply following the European Union's recent ban on Brazilian poultry exports over antimicrobial standards, which could redirect surplus shipments to Mexico.
The association petitioned President Claudia Sheinbaum to establish regulated import quotas to stabilize the market without halting trade, thereby safeguarding a planned US$3.5 billion private investment program aimed at modernizing infrastructure and supporting national food security through 2030.
