EU inspectors audit Brazil in late August as 3 September block on chicken and honey nears

Brazil, the European Union's biggest supplier of poultry meat, will be audited by European Commission inspectors at the end of August in a check that decides whether its chicken and honey retain EU market access after 3 September. A Commission spokesperson confirmed the mission in a written statement to the Greek outlet newmoney.gr.

What changes on 3 September

The EU is updating the list of third countries authorised to export to the bloc in light of new European rules on antimicrobial medicines. Brazil was assessed in May as not meeting the requirements. From 3 September, the restriction is scheduled to cover Brazilian:

• bovine animals and beef
• equine animals
• poultry
• aquaculture products
• honey
• natural casings

The block stems from the disagreement between the EU and Brazil over the use of antimicrobials in food production.

Audit covers only chicken and honey

Eva Hrnčírová, European Commission spokesperson for social rights and skills, preparedness, equality, culture and health, told newmoney.gr that the Commission is in close contact with the Brazilian authorities on the file. Brazil has submitted evidence for specific product categories — beef, poultry, eggs, honey and aquaculture products — but because production cycles differ by animal species, the dates from which Brazil can certify compliance with EU requirements also differ.

To verify that the guarantees are applied in practice, the Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) will carry out an audit in Brazil at the end of August 2026. According to Hrnčírová, it will cover only the categories for which Brazil will have provided written guarantees by the time it takes place: chicken meat and its products, and honey and other apiculture products. For beef and eggs, Brazil is not yet able to provide guarantees covering the animals' entire lifespan; for aquaculture products, exports to the EU are de facto not permitted.

An audit report will be drafted in the weeks that follow. If the results are positive, the Commission could consider proposing an amendment to the list of approved third countries in order to reinstate Brazil for poultry and/or honey exports, Hrnčírová said. Any such proposal would be put to a vote by member states in the relevant Standing Committee, and the Commission said it cannot prejudge either the audit outcome or the timetable for the next steps. Depending on the findings, newmoney.gr reports, Brazilian chicken and honey could continue crossing EU borders after 3 September.

Volumes and the breast fillet exposure

Brazil remains the EU's leading poultry supplier, ahead of the United Kingdom, Thailand, Ukraine, China and Argentina. The EU imports roughly 211,000 tonnes of poultry meat from Brazil a year, around 25% of its total chicken imports. Rabobank said in a recent analysis that any interruption of those imports would affect core supply chains, particularly the chicken breast fillet market. If the ban takes effect on 3 September, the bank expects the European chicken market to face a significant contraction in available supply, with the sharpest pressure on breast fillet and processed products.

Brazilian chicken exports to the EU rose 53% year on year in the first half of 2026. The increase is not attributed solely to the prospect of the ban and is probably also linked to the start of application of the EU–Mercosur agreement in May 2026, in force since 1 May, which created additional incentives to raise imports.

Greece largely insulated

Poultry is one of the stronger segments of the Greek agrifood sector, and domestic production covers the bulk of national demand. Brazil's share of the Greek market remains small relative to other suppliers, although that could change if the 3 September restrictions are lifted, given the advantages the EU–Mercosur agreement offers Brazilian producers. According to the latest figures declared by Brazil and cited by WITS, just 2.7 tonnes of chicken entered Greece from Brazil in 2024.

Greece's National Interbranch Poultry Organisation (EDOP) asked in January for poultry to be excluded from the EU–Mercosur agreement, citing the risk of lower quality in products offered to European consumers and unequal competition. Nikos Kakavas, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Geotechnical Public Servants, welcomed the Commission audit in comments to newmoney.gr. In late April he had told a press conference that salmonella was found in 80% of imported frozen chickens from Brazil tested at the veterinary laboratories in Agia Paraskevi, which he said led to their immediate return, and that no Brazilian chicken has been imported since. “We are not against imports and we are not afraid of competition, but what enters Greece from third countries must meet the same standards as Greek products,” he said.