NFU urges UK to restrict Brazilian meat imports amid antibiotic stance clash with EU

The National Farmers’ Union calls on the UK government to consider a precautionary ban on Brazilian beef and poultry over concerns about antibiotic use, aligning with EU standards amid looming export restrictions.

The National Farmers’ Union has urged the UK government to consider a precautionary ban on Brazilian beef and poultry unless Brasília can show its exports are produced in line with responsible antibiotic rules.

The call comes after the European Commission moved against Brazilian animal products over concerns about antimicrobial use in livestock, with the EU set to withdraw export access from 3 September 2026 if Brazil cannot satisfy its requirements. Reuters and industry reports say Brussels wants evidence that exports are not linked to animals treated with antimicrobials reserved for human medicine, or with antibiotics used to promote growth.

The NFU says the UK should not wait for a wider problem to emerge. Antibiotics for growth promotion have been banned in the UK and EU since 2006, and the union points to a 60% fall in UK antibiotic use since 2014, alongside an 83% reduction in the use of critically important antibiotics. It also questions whether border controls are robust enough, citing just 94 residue tests a year on imported animal products.

Tom Bradshaw, the NFU president, said the government should adopt the same precautionary stance as the EU. He warned that a failure to act could damage confidence in British meat and put domestic beef and poultry producers under further pressure if trade is redirected from Europe to the UK market.