MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU bans chicken imports from several suppliers in Brazil

“I was in Europe last week and we were waiting for a definition of how many, if any plants, were going to be de-listed,” Agriculture Minister Blairo Maggi said

Europe’s decision to ban meat imports from several Brazilian suppliers affects 30 to 35% of the country’s exports to the bloc and will force companies to find new markets while officials work to reverse the measure, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister said.

The European Union on Thursday suspended imports of Brazilian meat products, mostly poultry, in a move that affected 20 plants in the country that had been authorized to export to the EU, according to a European Commission statement.

“I was in Europe last week and we were waiting for a definition of how many, if any plants, were going to be de-listed,” Minister Blairo Maggi told reporters in Paraná after the measure was unveiled.

“We need to start talks to reestablish these plants as soon as possible,” he said.

Maggi noted the Brazilian government would request that a trade mission be allowed in Europe to negotiate a reversal of the measure. Meanwhile, he said, Brazilian companies “will have to search for new markets to quickly substitute these exports.”

The ban also dealt a blow to Brazil’s largest chicken processor, BRF SA, which had 12 plants delisted by the EU after its involvement in a food safety investigation.

Earlier in the week the Brazilian government threatened to file a complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to discuss its claims that the EU chicken import quotas breached global trade rules.

The government affirmed its intention after the EU decision on Thursday, claiming European trade restrictions were “not a health issue.”