Brussels, Aug. 26, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Union (EU) is carrying out an audit in Brazil following the suspension, with effect from September, of Brazilian exports of various products of animal origin, a process that could lead to the reinstatement of some authorisations.
«Brazil has submitted information regarding certain products, namely beef, poultry meat, eggs, honey and aquaculture products. […] To verify whether the guarantees of compliance with EU requirements are effectively being applied in practice, the Health and Food Safety Authority of the European Commission is conducting an audit in Brazil, which will be completed on 4 September,» an official source from the institution told the Lusa news agency on Wednesday.
In a written reply sent to Lusa, the same source clarified that «the scope of the audit will cover the products for which Brazil has provided written assurances of compliance at the time of the audit, namely poultry and honey».
This means that, «if the audit result is positive, the Commission may consider proposing an amendment to the list of authorised third countries, so as to re-include Brazil with regard to poultry and/or honey», they added.
Nevertheless, «any such proposal will be put to a vote by the member states in a standing committee», the same source noted, emphasising that «the outcome of the audit cannot be predicted and, at this stage, the Commission cannot indicate any likely timetable».
At issue is the regulation updating the list of third countries authorised to export to the EU animals intended for food production and products of animal origin, under the new European rules on the use of certain antimicrobials, which will come into force on 3 September following a review carried out last May.
«Brazil is not included on this list, which means that, from 3 September 2026, it will no longer be able to export certain categories of products to the EU – both live food-producing animals and derived products – such as cattle, equines, poultry, eggs, aquaculture products, honey and offal, the European Commission explained.
The EU audit will be completed one day after the new European rules on the use of certain antimicrobials in food-producing animals come into force.
The rules prohibit the use of these medicines to promote growth or increase animal yield and restrict the use of substances reserved for the treatment of infections in humans.
Brussels clarified that the audit focuses specifically on the categories for which Brazil had, at the time of the inspection, provided written assurances of compliance with European requirements.
The situation is different for other products because, according to the European Commission, in the case of beef and eggs, Brazil «is unable to provide the required assurances covering the entire life of the animals at the time of the audit».
As for aquaculture, exports to the European Union «are not presently authorised», it is stated.
As Brazil is one of the EU's main suppliers of some of these products, such as beef and poultry, the European Commission also acknowledges, in its response to Lusa, that the suspension «will have an impact on some European operators».
Brussels emphasises, however, that the requirements are «non-discriminatory and apply to all third countries exporting to the EU», adding that it has maintained «close contact with the Brazilian authorities» and will continue to work with the country to ensure compliance with the rules.
ANE/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
