Eva Hrncirova, spokesperson for health issues at the European Commission, confirmed, in a press conference held this Tuesday (1st), the suspension of imports of animal products from Brazil starting tomorrow (3rd). According to her, the European bloc does not have guarantees of conformity of Brazilian products regarding the use of antimicrobials. However, Hrncirova says she “fully trusts Brazil’s commitment to resolving this issue” so that the bloc “resumes imports as quickly as possible”. The spokesperson also said that the EU technical audit currently underway in Brazil for the poultry and honey chains is not expected to yield immediate results. “Don’t expect results so soon, as the experts will need time to draft the audit conclusions,” she said. According to Hrncirova, the European Commission had received “some guarantees” in writing for the poultry and honey chains, but not for beef. The new European legislation establishes the requirement to prove that animals whose meat or other products will be sent to the bloc have not received antibiotics throughout their entire life cycle. In the case of cattle, this period lasts at least 24 months. "We remain in contact with the Brazilian authorities and are working on this," he concluded. If the European authorities present favorable conclusions regarding the ongoing audit for the poultry and honey supply chains, a reassessment of compliance by the committee responsible for the topic (Scopaff) may be carried out on November 16th and 17th.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.