The European Union's ban on Brazilian exports of animal products has prompted JBS to advocate for stricter restrictions on the use of antimicrobials in Brazil.
According to industry sources, controlling shareholder Joesley Batista and Global CEO Gilberto Tomazoni personally asked President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to expand restrictions on the use of these substances in poultry and cattle production in an effort to meet the EU's sanitary requirements.
The request preceded a joint proposal submitted in early June by the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec) and the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) to the Ministry of Agriculture. The proposal sought to demonstrate stricter controls on antimicrobial use after the European Commission removed Brazil from the list of countries authorized to export meat, seafood, honey and other animal products to the EU from September onward.
The decision has deepened differences between the government, the industry and livestock producers. While the private sector argues that the Ministry of Agriculture failed to provide the guarantees requested by the EU over the past three years, the government maintains that it was up to companies to implement production segregation systems. Last week, industry representatives, producers and government officials held further meetings to discuss alternatives, including segregating animals destined for the European market or extending antimicrobial restrictions nationwide.
The industry's proposal would have allowed exports of beef from traceable animals that had not received those substances during the nine months prior to slaughter, under a comprehensive control system through 2029. However, the proposal was rejected by the European Union. The potential impact of the ban on Brazilian beef exports is estimated at around US$1 billion per year.
Source: Valor Econômico
