EU rejects Brazil’s request for transition on antimicrobial rule.

As reported by CNN Brazil On Tuesday (26), the European Union rejected a request from the Brazilian government to adopt a transition period related to the new requirements on the use of antimicrobials in animal production. The Brazilian request was mainly focused on the beef chain and provided for an adaptation period for the full implementation of the rules required by the Europeans. According to sources involved in the negotiations, the European bloc informed that it will not accept any transition mechanism on the subject. The assessment within the Brazilian government is that the main challenge lies precisely in beef cattle farming, due to the complexity of the national production chain and the difficulty of guaranteeing complete traceability of the animals. The Brazilian proposal stipulated that slaughterhouses would initially prove the absence of antimicrobials only in the months prior to slaughter, while a broader traceability system would be gradually structured in the coming years. According to government interlocutors, sectors such as poultry, eggs and honey present a scenario considered more manageable, due to the shorter production cycle and greater control of the chain. In the case of beef, the European Union requires a recognized and validated sanitary system to guarantee the complete traceability of animals exported to the bloc. Although some Brazilian meatpacking plants already offer this level of control, the available volume is still limited and concentrated among a few producers. The Brazilian government is still preparing the technical documents required by Europe, which should be submitted by the end of this week.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.