MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

British gov't lifts restrictions on Brazilian meat

The technical visit in October last year was the first British audit mission abroad after Brexit

British authorities have decided to lift the reinforced controls on Brazilian meat, Brasilia's Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture announced Monday, according to Agencia Brasil. The measure was adopted nine months after a technical team visited the South American country.

Now Brazilian health authorities will be able to enable companies authorized to sell meat to the United Kingdom, a system called “pre-listing,” it was explained.

The United Kingdom will also start treating cases of avian influenza at the state level. Thus, any outbreaks of the disease in Brazil will only lead to the closure of the market for poultry meat from states with registered occurrences. Until now, the British government suspended purchases from the entire country in such cases.

In a joint statement, the two ministries said that the British government's health audit mission found that Brazil had resolved issues related to sanitary and phytosanitary regulation that had led to the adoption of enhanced controls on Brazilian meat.

“The decision of the British authorities confirms the excellence of Brazilian official health controls, which guarantee the quality and safety of products consumed in Brazil and in importing countries,” the two ministries said.

The technical visit in October last year was the first British audit mission abroad after Brexit, Agencia Brasil also noted. According to the joint note, both Itamaraty and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock have held talks with the British government since the UK's exit from the European Union became effective. The meetings took place in Brasilia and London.

In 2022, Brazil exported US$ 282.2 million in poultry meat and about US$ 134.5 million in beef to the British market. Since Brexit, Brazilian agricultural exports to the UK have increased by 67%, reaching US$ 1.8 billion last year. (Source: Agencia Brasil)