UK softens rigorous regulations over Brazilian meat exports

The Brazilian government has welcomed the British government’s decision to end the more rigorous inspection regulations on Brazilian exports of meat products to the UK. The European island also decided to reinstate the “pre-listing” system, which facilitates the export habilitation process by acknowledging the indication of the Brazilian sanitary authorities.

The decision was based on the findings of a technical audit report carried out by British personnel in October 2022. The audit focused on Brazil’s system for inspecting products of animal origin, notably beef and poultry.

The audit mission found that Brazil had resolved the issues related to its sanitary and phytosanitary regulatory system that had led to the more rigorous regulations being put in place in the first place. The British authorities’ decision confirms the status of official Brazilian sanitary controls, guaranteeing the quality and safety of products consumed in Brazil and in importing countries.

The chart below shows beef exports to the UK from Brazil between Jan 2019 and May 2023. The data is from DataLiner.

Beef exports to UK | Jan 2019 – May 2023 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The British government has also announced that it will look at the Brazilian territory on a case-by-case basis when it comes to avian flu. This means that possible outbreaks of the disease that may occur in Brazil will no longer lead to the closure of the British market for all poultry meat exports, but only those coming from the state where the disease has been identified.

The decision reflects the solid partnership between Brazil and the UK and is a positive step for both countries. The UK is an important destination for meat exported by Brazil, and the end of the reinforced controls will help to boost trade between the two countries.

Such a recent development was only achieved due to the close coordination between the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock in Brasília and London. The announcement follows negotiations that the Embassy of Brazil in the UK, which has an agricultural attaché, has maintained with the British side since the implementation of Brexit.

In 2022, Brazil exported US$ 282.2 million in poultry meat and around US$ 134.5 million in beef to the UK. Since Brexit, Brazilian agricultural exports to the UK have increased by 67%, reaching US$ 1.8 billion in 2022.

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