The EU poultry industry association AVEC is calling on the European Commission to delay a November vote on restoring Brazil's poultry export authorization until Brazil provides independently verified proof of compliance with EU antimicrobial use rules, citing concerns that current controls are insufficient to ensure compliance throughout production.
- Brazil was removed from EU-authorized exporters earlier this year for failing to prove compliance with antibiotic restrictions
- The European Commission scheduled a vote for November 16-17 to potentially relist Brazil, but AVEC questions the audit conclusions
- AVEC demands verified evidence on feed sampling, hatchery checks, and separation of EU-bound poultry from other production
- AVEC is also pushing for origin labeling on poultry products, stricter tariff quota control, and safeguard investigations on import volumes
- The group opposes additional preferential access to Thailand until traceability shortcomings are resolved
AVEC, the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the European Union (EU) countries, is urgently calling on the European Commission (EC) to postpone any vote on restoring Brazil’s authorization to export poultry meat unless member states receive additional, independently verified guarantees on compliance with EU rules on antimicrobial use.
Earlier this year, Brazil was removed from the list of third countries authorized to export food-producing animals and animal products to it, due to failure to prove compliance with antibiotic restrictions.
However, the EC has now put an update to its list of authorized exporting countries on the agenda for a possible vote on Nov. 16-17, opening the possibility for Brazil to be relisted. Despite the commission’s audit concluding that Brazil’s control system could provide the required guarantees, AVEC questions these conclusions.
Further evidence is needed, AVEC says, to demonstrate that those controls work in practice throughout a bird’s lifetime, particularly on feed sampling, as well as demonstrating that checks are performed at hatcheries and that the separation of EU-bound poultry from other production is effective.
AVEC recognizes that Brazil’s shipments are subject to EU food safety requirements, presenting no danger for consumers, but points out that they are non-compliant with the E.U.’s new antimicrobial rules.
Member states should, it argues, urge the commission to postpone the vote until receiving verified evidence that addresses the issues before they are asked to decide.
Broader trade and labeling demands
AVEC has also raised four other measures that it wants EU policymakers to address.
AVEC wants origin labeling (EU vs non-EU) for poultry meat in processed foods and catering. Consumers, it says, should be able to see the country of origin of the chicken they buy or are served.
The organization is also calling for poultry tariff quota management to be brought back under EU control. It argues that the EU authorities should allocate access to quotas to ensure that exporting countries cannot use any means to decide which operators gain access.
It is also calling for the use of the EU-Mercosur safeguard mechanism for poultry, arguing that the commission should urgently publish the relevant import volumes and prices and assess whether they warrant opening an investigation.
Lastly, AVEC is calling for the rejection on any concessions to Thailand, the EU should, it says, grant no additional preferential access to Thailand, which already benefits from a significant preferential access to the EU, while shortcomings in traceability identified by the commission remain unresolved.
