May 4, 2023

Brazilian poultry exports to UK to resume after four-year hiatus

Carlos Favaro, Brazil's Minister of Agriculture, has announced that Brazilian poultry exports to the UK, which ceased in 2017, will be re-launched this year, MercoPress reported.

The minister said he is confident that the UK will open its doors to Brazilian poultry products again by June, but if not in May, when the Brazilian president attends King Charles' coronation.

Brazil is licensed to export beef and chicken to Europe, but no more export licenses have been issued since operation "Carne Fraca" and the list of pre-qualified plants is still suspended.

Fávaro said the volume of exports currently shipped by Brazil falls short of the 2016 volumes, a year before the operation was launched. The European Union kept these restrictions in place, but the UK had to come up with its own good practice parameters, and after conducting inspections, negotiations have commenced for the resumption of exports.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European continent is experiencing its biggest avian flu outbreak, with 37 nations affected and 2,540 cases in commercial poultry establishments between October 2021 and September 2022. This situation has led to a sharp rise in chicken meat, eggs, and derivatives prices.

Favaro believes that Brazil can help the UK combat post-pandemic food inflation with great quality meat, a good sanitary system, and the seal of the Brazilian brand synonymous with prime quality.

-      MercoPress