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UK urged to ban Brazilian meat imports over antibiotic compliance
The UK said imports rose to about £5 billion in 2025 since Brexit, while UK farm groups warned EU bans could redirect more Brazilian meat into the market.
UK farming organizations and animal health experts have urged the UK government to impose an urgent ban on imports of Brazilian beef and chicken, citing concerns that Brazil has not demonstrated compliance with EU rules on the routine use of antibiotics in cattle and poultry farming, The Guardian Business reports.
The groups said public health is at risk, pointing to antibiotic overuse as a driver of superbugs that are resistant to medicines critical for human health. Next week, the EU is set to ban imports of Brazilian beef and chicken over similar concerns, but Brexit gives the UK the option to refuse to follow the EU decision.
According to the report, imports from Brazil have risen sharply since Brexit, from about £3 billion in 2021 to £5 billion in 2025, with meat a major component. The story also notes that in 2024 Brazil accounted for about an eighth of UK chicken imports.
Farmers in the UK fear that if the EU closes its market to Brazilian meat, more exports could be diverted to the UK, especially as they contend with falling meat prices alongside higher input costs for feed and energy. The article also cites an investigation from the Irish Farmers Journal and the Irish Farmers’ Association that found Brazilian farmers had easy access to antibiotics classified as critically important in human medicine without a veterinary prescription, with traceability rules not being applied.