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UK urged to ban Brazilian meat imports over antibiotic fears

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • UK farming organizations and animal health experts are demanding a ban on Brazilian meat imports.
  • They cite concerns over the routine use of antibiotics in Brazilian farming, which contributes to antibiotic resistance.
  • The EU will ban such imports next week, but the UK has not yet followed suit.

Britain's top farming groups and animal health specialists are pressing the government for an immediate ban on meat imports from Brazil. They warn that public health is at risk due to the widespread use of antibiotics in Brazilian cattle and poultry farming.

The National Farmers' Union (NFU) in England, along with its counterparts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, alerted the government on Friday. They are concerned that Brazil's farming practices, particularly the routine use of antibiotics, contribute to the rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. This is a critical global health issue, responsible for millions of deaths annually.

The rise of antibiotic resistance is a global health crisis. Each year it is directly responsible for about 1.14m deaths and associated with 4.71m deaths. We know that resistant pathogens can spread internationally on food. So why are we still importing meat from countries like Brazil that are allowing the irresponsible use on intensive farms of even the most critically important antibiotics?

— Cóilín NunanA representative from the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics explains the severity of antibiotic resistance and questions continued meat imports from Brazil.

Next week, the European Union is set to implement its own ban on Brazilian beef and chicken imports over similar concerns. However, due to Brexit, the UK is not automatically bound to follow the EU's lead. Imports from Brazil to the UK have significantly increased since Brexit, reaching £5 billion in 2025, with meat forming a substantial portion.

Farmers fear that with the EU market closing to Brazilian meat, more products will be diverted to the UK. Despite some recent regulations by the Brazilian government to restrict antibiotic use, investigations have revealed that farmers still have easy access to critically important antibiotics without veterinary prescriptions, and traceability rules are not consistently applied. The NFU president has previously met with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to demand a ban, but the government has so far refused.

Our experts have sought urgent information and assurances from Brazil as part of a rapid assessment of beef and poultry production systems to ensure our high food and animal welfare standards are being met, while closely monitoring market impacts of the EU ban. This government will always act to protect our farmers and the public with our world-l

— Defra spokespersonA spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) outlines the government's approach to assessing the situation and ensuring standards.
About this summary

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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