The Brazilian government is considering turning to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge the European Union’s decision to remove the country from the list of approved suppliers of meat and meat products as of September 3.
In a communication sent to the Chamber of Deputies, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said the EU did not give Brazil an opportunity to correct any shortcomings identified in controls over the use of antimicrobials.
Unless the decision is reversed before it takes effect, Brazil could adopt diplomatic, trade and legal measures, including the dispute settlement mechanisms of the WTO and the Mercosur-European Union agreement.
The EU justified the measure on the grounds of deficiencies in sanitary controls, but the Brazilian government believes there may also be a political and protectionist component, given the support the decision received from European sectors opposed to the agreement with Mercosur.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had not received any formal communication regarding problems with the documentation submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture, nor had it been given an opportunity to correct any possible inconsistencies. Brazil says it has been following changes to European antimicrobial rules since 2019 and has challenged provisions it considers incompatible with multilateral trade rules.
Source: Pecuaria.com.br
