EU suspension of Brazilian poultry re-routes world chicken trade towards Africa and the Middle East

Brazilian poultry has been shut out of the EU since 3 September — and that volume is looking for new homes

Brazilian poultry and other animal products lost access to the European Union on 3 September 2026. The European Commission had removed Brazil from its list of approved exporters of animals and animal products in May 2026, citing insufficient guarantees on the control of antimicrobials in the food chain; the suspension then took effect on 3 September. Brazilian chicken meat, which represented 233,137 tonnes of shipments to the EU in 2025, must now be sold elsewhere.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service's poultry annual for the European Union (GAIN report E42026-0072, 14 September 2026) expects EU chicken meat exports to decline 1.3% to about 1.75 million tonnes in 2027, after growth of 1.8% in 2026, with the fall driven partly by stronger competition from Brazilian meat in third markets. EU imports are also expected to drop if the Brazilian suspension runs into 2027, widening the bloc's chicken meat trade surplus.

• Brazil keeps exporting at scale. USDA's Brasilia post forecasts Brazil to remain the world's largest chicken meat exporter in 2026 at close to 5.2 million tonnes, more than 35% of global trade.
• Africa is the contested ground. Ghana, Guinea, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique are the markets where European and Brazilian exporters are expected to compete hardest; those five markets accounted for nearly a quarter of EU chicken export volume in 2025.
• Poland remains the largest EU producer, with more than 21% of EU chicken meat output forecast for 2027.
• The question is not settled. European authorities sent Brazil a letter on 14 September stating that they had voted and accepted Brazil's antimicrobial-control protocols, according to Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture; the formal re-listing still has to go through the EU committee process, where the Scopaff committee was expected to consider the file on 16–17 November.

What it means for buyers in the Gulf, Africa and Central Asia

• More volume is competing for non-EU outlets. Brazilian and EU frozen chicken are fighting for the same price-sensitive markets, which gives importers and distributors negotiating room — particularly on full-container parcels that can be fixed quickly.
• Access is still plant-by-plant. Approved/registered establishments, valid halal certification for the destination market, and complete veterinary/health and origin documentation remain the deciding factors, regardless of who is offering the cargo.
• Do not lock in on the assumption that this lasts. If the EU re-lists Brazil after the November committee, product will flow back to Europe. Contracts with long fixed volumes should leave room for that shift.

Nau International Food Group, based in Dubai, supplies frozen poultry raw materials — chicken breast, leg quarters and whole birds — to importers, wholesalers and food-service distributors. Shipments are covered by halal, HACCP, origin and veterinary/health documentation, and we can arrange customs clearance into Dubai for onward distribution. For specifications and current offers, write to info@naufoodgroup.com.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report E42026-0072 “European Union: Poultry and Products Annual” (14 September 2026), and GAIN report BR2026-0012 (Brasilia); European Commission removal of Brazil from the approved third-country list, effective 3 September 2026; African market detail as reported by Ecofin Agency (17 September 2026); Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture statement via Valor International (17 September 2026).