EU has stopped issuing certificates for Brazilian poultry since 3 September; a positive audit puts the decision at the 16-17 November meeting

The European Union has accepted no new certificates for Brazilian poultry since 3 September 2026, and the decision on reinstatement now sits with a Standing Committee meeting on 16-17 November - a date that decides how much Brazilian volume is left for the Gulf in the first quarter of 2027.

The European Union suspended purchases of animal products from Brazil with effect from 3 September 2026, on the argument that the country had not demonstrated adequate controls on the use of antimicrobials in production chains, as reported by Valor International on 19 October 2026. Reinstatement on the list of suppliers authorised to export to the bloc depends on the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF), which met on 20 and 21 October and meets again on 16 and 17 November.

The technical position has already moved. A European Commission audit, published at the beginning of October 2026, examined Brazil's legal framework, inspector training and official controls in the poultry and honey sectors, following a mission that inspected facilities and the animal health system in late August and early September. The Commission concluded that the control systems provide sufficient guarantees that antibiotics are not used for growth promotion in product intended for export to the EU, and that they offer a sound basis for certificates issued by the Brazilian authorities. A positive audit is not an authorisation: the final green light has to come from the member states in SCoPAFF.

The trade stakes are on the record. According to the audit report, Brazil produced about 15.3 million tonnes of chicken meat in 2025 and exported 5.3 million tonnes, making it the world's largest poultry exporter and third-largest producer; in 2024 the EU imported 286,936 tonnes slaughter weight of Brazilian poultry meat, 32 percent of its poultry imports from outside the bloc. Brazil's agriculture ministry secretary for trade and international relations, Augusto Billi, said in Brussels that he expected the decision to be published by December, allowing exports to resume; ABPA president Ricardo Santin said the industry was ready to ship "the day after" restrictions are lifted and had not halted production for the bloc.

• What is suspended: acceptance of new export certificates from 3 September 2026 for animal products, poultry and honey included; product certified before that date has continued to move.
• What the audit found: legal framework, inspector training and official controls adequate in both sectors, with sufficient guarantees against antibiotic growth promoters - a technical clearance, not a political one.
• Where the decision sits: SCoPAFF, 16-17 November 2026, after the inconclusive 20-21 October meeting; Billi expects publication by December.
• Why it matters outside Europe: a reopening would pull Brazilian volume back into a market that took 286,936 tonnes in 2024, and that volume has been looking for other homes since September - competing directly with Gulf buyers for December and January shipments.
• Beef is separate: the same audit covers poultry and honey only; Brazilian beef remains outside the EU market and is not part of this decision.

The practical consequence for Gulf importers is a timing risk rather than a supply risk. Brazilian product is available and competitively priced while the EU door is shut; if SCoPAFF reopens it in November, part of that volume is reabsorbed by Europe at the point when Gulf buyers are booking reefer space for Ramadan 2027, which begins in February. Fixing December and January volumes early, and fixing the freight basis with them, is the cheaper order of operations.

Nau International Food Group supplies halal frozen poultry and frozen meat from HACCP-certified, GACC-registered plants (establishment numbers 0900 / 03003), with halal, veterinary health and certificate of origin issued for each shipment, and arranges customs clearance into Dubai, including DDP Jebel Ali, on request. We quote against a stated certificate and origin position, so that a change of access in one market does not change the price already agreed. For specifications and current offers, write to info@naufoodgroup.com.

Source: European Commission audit report on Brazilian poultry and honey controls, reported by Fleischwirtschaft on 1 October 2026; Valor International, 19 October 2026, on the 3 September suspension and the SCoPAFF timetable; ABPA September 2026 export release, 4 November 2026.