06 August 2026
Growing concerns over agricultural antimicrobial misuse have prompted calls for stricter biosafety and import controls on livestock products entering the United Kingdom. Agricultural leaders and veterinary public health advocates are pressing the UK government to mirror European Union biosecurity safeguards by imposing precautionary import bans on Brazilian beef and poultry unless verifiable standards on antibiotic stewardship are demonstrated. The push follows European Commission oversight under Regulation (EU) 2019/6 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/905, which mandate that all third-country animal product exporters adhere to strict antimicrobial restrictions. These rules explicitly prohibit the use of antibiotics for growth promotion or yield enhancement, as well as the administration of critical antimicrobials reserved exclusively for human medicine.
With Brazil currently unable to substantiate compliance across its livestock production chains, the EU is set to strip the country’s export authorization for products of animal origin starting September 2026.
