Brussels, (Unib Rashid) — The European Union has suspended imports of Brazilian poultry and beef, as well as eggs and honey, after raising concerns over whether Brazil is providing sufficient guarantees that its food products comply with EU health and safety standards.

The European Commission announced the suspension on Thursday, saying it expects Brazil to provide assurances that its products meet European regulations, particularly those concerning the use of antibiotics in livestock farming.

Brazil was removed in May from an EU list of countries considered compliant with European rules aimed at preventing the misuse of antibiotics in livestock production. According to the Commission, Brazil has since failed to provide sufficient guarantees that its exported products meet the standards required by the European Union.

“Brazil is an important partner of the EU, and we work closely, constructively and positively with Brazilian authorities to ensure these requirements are met. Once this has been demonstrated, exports to the EU can be resumed,” a European Commission spokeswoman said.

The decision comes at a politically sensitive time for EU-Brazil trade relations. The European Union has faced strong criticism from farmers and France following the signing of a free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc — comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — in January 2026.

Brazil is a major supplier of agricultural products to the European market. Last year, it was the EU’s second-largest supplier of beef, exporting more than 92,000 tonnes of beef products worth over €713 million.

The impact on Belgium is expected to be relatively limited. According to Fevia, the Belgian federation of the food industry, Belgium imported around €30.2 million worth of meat and meat preparations from Brazil in 2025, representing approximately 1.3 per cent of the country’s total imports from Brazil.

Fevia spokeswoman Aurélie Gerth said Belgian supermarkets were unlikely to experience a sudden or significant shortage of meat as a result of the suspension, although consumers could see higher prices for beef.

“The impact on chicken is expected to be even more limited,” Gerth said, noting that the Belgian and wider European poultry markets are largely supplied by domestic and European producers.

The EU’s decision underscores its intention to maintain strict food-safety standards while demonstrating that agricultural imports from trading partners will remain subject to European health and regulatory requirements.