Sept 3 (Reuters) – An EU ban on animal products from Brazil that took effect on Thursday affects Brazilian exports worth about $1.84 billion annually, mainly beef and poultry, as the bloc ‌seeks guarantees that prohibited antimicrobial substances are not used in production.

While expectations for a near-term ‌resolution remain low, an EU inspection of Brazil’s poultry sector this week has offered some hope for that industry.

Here are some details:

AFFECTED ​EXPORTS

• Of the affected exports, beef accounted for $1.05 billion in 2025, while chicken meat totaled $763 million, according to Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry.

• The EU, an important buyer of higher-value cuts, represented 5.86% of Brazil’s beef export revenue last year and about 8% of its chicken export shipments.

• Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany are large buyers ‌of Brazilian beef, while the Netherlands, ⁠Spain and Germany are key markets for chicken exports.

REASONS FOR THE BAN

• The ban, announced in May and effective from Thursday, followed what the EU said was Brazil’s ⁠failure to provide guarantees that antimicrobials prohibited by the EU are not used in production.

• Since the announcement, Brazil has stepped up talks with EU officials, but the European Commission has not indicated when the restriction could be ​lifted.

• As ​part of those negotiations, EU inspectors have spent recent ​days reviewing Brazil’s poultry and honey production ‌systems.

• The mission ends on Friday, but no immediate decisions are expected because inspectors must first prepare their findings, according to a European Commission spokesperson.

COMPLIANCE AND INDUSTRY RESPONSE

• Brazilian officials hoped for a faster solution for poultry exports because chickens have a production cycle of about 42 days, making it easier to demonstrate compliance than in the cattle sector, where animals typically take more than two years to reach market.

• Industry ‌group ABPA, which represents poultry and pork producers, says Brazil’s ​poultry industry fully complies with EU import requirements, although EU authorities ​say Brazil has not provided sufficient official ​guarantees.

• Beef lobby Abiec says all of its member companies authorized to export to ‌the EU have adopted a private antimicrobial-control ​protocol incorporated into Brazil’s official ​guarantees.

• The EU bans substances that may promote animal growth and prohibits the use in livestock production of antimicrobials reserved for human medicine.

• Experts said the measure was not triggered by irregularities ​found in Brazilian meat, but by ‌EU concerns that Brazil’s controls remain insufficient.

• Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef ​and chicken and home to major meat processors including JBS, MBRF and Minerva.

(Reporting by Roberto ​Samora; Writing by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Jamie Freed)