European Union vetoes imports of meat and animal products from Brazil The Irish ambassador to Brazil, Martin Gallagher, stated that the European Union will not relax sanitary requirements so that Brazilian meat can be exported to the bloc again. Ireland holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on July 1 and lasts for six months. Gallagher highlighted that European rules on the use of antimicrobials in animal production are not new and had been discussed with Brazilian authorities for years. "These requirements related to standards for the use of antimicrobials are not new. They have been known for a long time, and the European Union had been maintaining dialogue with the Brazilian authorities about these standards for some time," he stated in an interview with g1. According to him, Brazil's removal from the list of countries authorized to sell meat products to the European market was a "technical" decision and it will be up to the Brazilian government to adopt the necessary measures to meet the required standards. ? Antimicrobials are substances used to treat and prevent infections in animals. Some of these medicines can also be used as growth promoters, a practice restricted by European legislation. At the beginning of June, the European Union officially removed Brazil from the list of countries considered capable of complying with the bloc's standards for controlling the use of antimicrobials in animal production. As a result, the country will be prevented from exporting meat and other products of animal origin to the European market from September 3rd. Until then, Brazil was authorized to sell beef, chicken and horse meat to the bloc, as well as tripe, fish and honey. With the decision, all of these products will lose access to the European market. Last week, the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec) stated that "there are great chances" that Brazilian meat production will not be able to adapt to the new European Union requirements in time to avoid the suspension of exports. According to the entity, the cattle production cycle makes it difficult to adapt to the new rules, which would take around 30 months. Gallagher highlighted that other South American countries managed to meet the European Union's requirements and, therefore, remain qualified to export. "Other South American countries managed to meet the European Union's requirements. The decision taken by the committee responsible for this issue was a technical decision. The committee evaluated several countries, and those that technically met the requirements remained on the list of exporters authorized to sell to the European Union," he said. Herd of cattle vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease in Pará - Disclosure Archive / Adepraá According to the ambassador, the criteria adopted by the bloc are objective. "The rule is very simple: those who meet the standards remain on the list; those who do not meet the list are no longer part of it. Technical standards are at the heart of the European Union and the European project itself", he argued. Despite the decision, Gallagher stated that the Brazilian government maintains dialogue with the European Commission to seek a solution. According to him, the bloc remains open to negotiations. "I believe that this is exactly the correct path", he stated, defending that impasses of this type be resolved through dialogue. Asked about what measures could allow exports to resume, the ambassador said that Brazil will need to implement a system capable of guaranteeing compliance with European health requirements. He stated that the European Union is willing to discuss with the Brazilian government the paths towards this adjustment, but reinforced that the responsibility lies with the Brazilian authorities. "Ultimately, however, the responsibility lies with the Brazilian side, which needs to establish the necessary standards," he said. To explain the bloc's position, Gallagher compared the case to the health requirements imposed by Brazil itself on imported products. "If I want to export products from Ireland to Brazil, I also need to comply with Brazilian sanitary and phytosanitary requirements before I can sell these products. It's the same principle. Brazil would not reduce its standards just because Ireland wants to export a certain product. Likewise, the European Union will not do that either", he illustrated. Asked if a solution could be reached before September 3, when the suspension of exports comes into effect, the ambassador said that he does not participate directly in the negotiations and, therefore, cannot predict a deadline. Still, he stated that he believes that the impasse could be resolved over time, as long as dialogue between the parties is maintained. Mercosur-European Union Agreement Although he believes it is too early to measure the real impact, the diplomat said that it is already possible to feel the first impacts of the agreement, which came into force in May. "Today we had access to trade data that show that, in the first two months of implementation of the agreement, there was an increase of approximately R$10 billion in Brazilian exports to the European Union", he stated, highlighting that it is not yet possible to attribute that the growth resulted exclusively from the agreement, but that it is already possible to observe an increase in trade between Brazil and the European Union. "In addition, in the first six months of this year, we registered a growth of around 13% in Brazilian exports to the EU. Therefore, everything indicates that the agreement is beginning to take effect, although more time is needed to fully evaluate its results", he added. Enacted in May by the Brazilian National Congress, the agreement creates one of the largest free trade zones in the world. Signed on January 17 in Paraguay after more than 25 years of negotiation, the agreement provides for the reduction or gradual elimination of import and export tariffs, which reach more than 90% of total trade between the blocs. Additionally, establish