Key facts
- UK farming groups are calling for a ban on Brazilian meat imports due to concerns over antibiotic resistance.
- The EU will ban imports of Brazilian beef and chicken next week over similar health and safety worries.
- Concerns center on the routine use of antibiotics in Brazilian farming, contributing to the rise of superbugs.
- Brazilian farmers reportedly have easy access to critically important antibiotics without veterinary prescriptions.
- UK imports of Brazilian meat have grown substantially since Brexit, with meat being a significant component.
- The UK government is assessing information from Brazil but has not yet imposed a ban.
Leading UK farming organizations and animal health experts have urged the government to implement an immediate ban on imports of Brazilian meat, citing significant concerns over public health risks associated with antibiotic resistance.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) and its counterparts in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland wrote to the government on Friday, warning that the routine use of antibiotics in Brazilian cattle and poultry farming could lead to the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. This practice is a major driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.
Next week, the European Union is set to ban imports of Brazilian beef and chicken over these same concerns. However, due to Brexit, the UK is not automatically bound to follow the EU's lead and has maintained the option to refuse the ban.
Imports of meat from Brazil to the UK have seen a substantial increase since Brexit, rising from approximately £3 billion in 2021 to an estimated £5 billion in 2025. In 2024 alone, Brazil supplied about one-eighth of the UK's chicken imports.
Farmers are particularly worried that with the closure of the EU market, a larger volume of Brazilian meat will be diverted to the UK. Despite some regulatory changes by the Brazilian government to restrict antibiotic use, investigations by the Irish Farmers Journal and the Irish Farmers' Association have indicated that Brazilian farmers still have easy access to critically important antibiotics without requiring a veterinary prescription, and that traceability rules are not consistently applied.
Cóilín Nunan of the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics highlighted that resistant pathogens can spread internationally via food, questioning the continued importation of meat from countries with such practices. Tom Bradshaw, president of the NFU, met with Secretary of State Angela Eagle in July to demand a ban, but the government has thus far declined.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) stated that their experts are seeking urgent information and assurances from Brazil as part of a rapid assessment to ensure UK food and animal welfare standards are met, while also monitoring the market impact of the EU ban. Defra emphasized the government's commitment to protecting farmers and the public through robust import controls.
In their letter, the NFU presidents argued that the UK should demand the same high standards for imported food as it maintains for its own farmers, who have worked to reduce antibiotic use. They warned that failure to act would not only pose a public health risk but also damage consumer confidence in beef and poultry.
The government is already facing scrutiny over food safety, following a recent outbreak of salmonella in imported eggs. Furthermore, the UK's decision not to align with the EU's ban could complicate intra-UK trade with Northern Ireland, which adheres to EU food and farming rules under post-Brexit agreements, and potentially hinder efforts to realign trade with the EU for economic benefit.