Lisbon, Sept. 7, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Government told Lusa that the European Union's (EU) suspension of imports of Brazilian animal products is not expected to cause any disruption to the Portuguese market or lead to increases in consumer prices.
In response to Lusa, the Ministry of Agriculture emphasised that, «at this stage, there is no evidence to suggest that there will be disruptions to the supply of the Portuguese market or increases in consumer prices».
The Government also emphasised the need to distinguish between the volume of imports from Brazil and their share of domestic consumption.
«The data available for 2025 show that beef imports from Brazil account for just 0.7% of domestic consumption, which, according to Statistics Portugal (INE) figures, amounts to 208,000 tonnes,» the Ministry of Agriculture explained in writing.
As for poultry, in 2025, «Portugal's imports from Brazil totalled 269 tonnes, representing less than 1% of domestic consumption», the Government stated.
Emphasising that «Portugal supports the application of European rules», the Ministry of Agriculture also pointed out that «competence regarding trade agreements, the enforcement of rules, sanctions and the lifting of restrictions lies with the European Commission».
Brussels has suspended imports of animal products from Brazil due to breaches of the rules on the use of antibiotics in livestock farming, prohibiting the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in animals and restricting the administration of certain critical antibiotics, which are reserved for human medicine.
In order to export to the EU, third countries must prove that they meet the requirements; the ‘lifetime guarantee' stipulates that exporting countries must ensure that animals have not been administered certain antimicrobials at any point during their lives.
The spokesperson, emphasising that the government is currently focused on poultry and honey, said there were no guarantees of compliance regarding beef from Brazil.
Today, the European Commission announced that it will publish the results of the audit into poultry and honey production in Brazil, noting that, as far as cattle are concerned, the situation is much more complex.
«At the moment, beef is out of the question because we require guarantees covering the animal's entire lifespan, which means that animals cannot be given antimicrobials throughout their lives — a lifespan which is, of course, shorter for poultry, for example, than for cattle,» said the EU executive's spokesperson for health today.
Eva Hrncirova clarified that the audit completed last week in Brazil by European experts «concerned only honey and poultry».
When asked about the publication of the findings of the Commission's audit — which was carried out on the ground to assess whether Brazilian authorities and producers are able to control and certify the use of antimicrobials in the poultry and beekeeping sectors — the spokesperson said more time was needed.
Meanwhile, last week, the Brazilian Government stated that there had been a lack of prior dialogue before the restrictions on the import of animal protein products were imposed and warned that it may apply reciprocal measures if no satisfactory solution is found.
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