The National Farmers’ Union has called on the government to ban Brazilian beef and poultry imports, unless the country can clearly demonstrate it is using antibiotics responsibly.
It comes after the EU last month called on Brazil to prove that its products of animal origin were not derived from animals treated with antimicrobials reserved for human health, growth promotion, or yield improvement.
Despite having until 3 September to show that this is the case or have its authorisation to export taken away, Brasilia had so far been unable to demonstrate it was adhering to EU rules, the NFU said.
And without mirroring the potential EU ban, the farming union warned the UK risked becoming a backdoor for Brazilian produce, with a “strong possibility” meat and poultry could be rediverted to other markets, “displacing imports from other major agricultural producers, and in turn pushing more into the UK market”.
The EU imported 211,000 of Brazilian chicken and over 92,000 tonnes of beef in 2025, making it the bloc’s first and second largest suppliers of the two proteins respectively. The UK imported 25,093 tonnes of Brazilian beef and 28,712 tonnes of poultry meat last year.
The NFU further stressed that Whitehall risked undermining public trust in food and the efforts of British farmers to tackle antimicrobial resistance without taking the same action as the EU.
Imports of Brazilian products of animal origin also faced limited testing at the UK border, it added, with just 94 samples tested for residues of veterinary medicinal products each year.
In the UK, the use of antibiotics deemed critically important for human health has reduced by 83% since 2014, according to government data.
“Unless there is full confidence that Brazilian meat has been produced responsibly, the government should take the same precautionary approach as the EU and ban the import of Brazilian products,” said NFU president Tom Bradshaw.
“It should also increase the frequency of testing for products entering the UK from high and medium-risk countries such as Brazil.
“If it does not, there are wider reputational risks for the British beef and poultry sectors,” he continued. “Public confidence could be undermined if consumers believe the UK is importing beef or poultry meat that the EU has deemed unsafe.”
Maintaining trust in British meat “must remain a priority and that’s why we advocate for clear country of origin labelling, particularly in the foodservice industry”, Bradshaw added.
Responding to the NFU’s calls, a Defra spokesperson today said the government was “actively working with industry and Brazilian authorities to assess any risks posed by Brazilian beef imports and will always act to protect our farmers”.
This built on the UK’s “existing, world-leading import controls which are in place to protect animal and public health”, they added.
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