EU says it is in “constructive dialogue” with Brazil on meat

According to information from Folha S.Paulo, the former Portuguese prime minister made the statements in the French city of Évian-les-Bains, on the sidelines of the summit of leaders of the G7, a group of the seven most developed economies in the world (formed by Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom).

This Tuesday (16), the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will be able to meet with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Costa preferred not to say whether there might be any announcement about the suspension of Brazilian meat and said that the issue is up to the commission.

The president of the European Council praised Brazil – “it is a great partner and had excellent leadership from the G20”, he said – and also the EU-Mercosur agreement, but said that “health standards must be met”.

This month, the EU made official the list of countries authorized to export items to its territory, ratifying Brazil’s exclusion from September. In addition to beef, poultry, horses and fish, the potential embargo includes by-products such as tripe, eggs and honey.

Brazilian agribusiness representatives attribute the blockade to the Lula government’s lack of action. The measure is contained in a European Commission regulation based on the lack of information provided by Brazil proving compliance with health requirements related to the use of certain antimicrobials in animal production.