UK groups urge immediate ban on Brazilian meat imports over health fears

British farming organizations and animal health experts are urging the UK government to immediately ban the import of Brazilian meat, citing significant health risks to the public. The National Farmers Union in England, along with similar groups in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, have written to the government expressing grave concerns.

The Guardian reported that these bodies are worried that cattle and poultry in Brazil are often raised with antibiotics, despite the country failing to demonstrate compliance with EU regulations. This situation is particularly alarming as the UK is set to leave the EU, losing the protection of its member states' import decisions.

UK imports of Brazilian meat have increased since Brexit, projected to reach £5 billion by 2025, with chicken accounting for a substantial share. In 2024 alone, Brazil supplied around one-eighth of the UK's chicken imports. British farmers, already facing low meat prices and increasing feed and energy costs, are worried that the closure of the European market to Brazilian meat could result in more of it being imported into the UK.

An Irish investigation last year found that Brazilian farmers can readily purchase antibiotics crucial to human medicine without a veterinary prescription, due to weak enforcement of traceability rules. Health organizations warn that antibiotic resistance is a global crisis responsible for over a million deaths each year, and these pathogens can spread through food.

The UK government is also under pressure following a salmonella outbreak linked to imported eggs, which has caused one death and more than 200 illnesses.