A recent DG Sante audit has led to concerns over cattle exported from Brazil to the European Union. The audit highlighted the lack of tracking of growth hormones in cattle from Brazil, in particular estradiol 17β, which is forbidden in the EU due to potential cancer risks.

The EU Commission's decision to allow Brazilian authorities to take their own actions in order to guarantee hormone-free beef exports to Europe has sparked questions from agricultural groups about whether Brazil’s self-regulation should be trusted.

Multiple trade associations have called on European policymakers to review the EU-Mercosur deal, which facilitates trade between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The groups said: 

European farmers are alarmed by the potential risks of increasing imports from Brazil under the EU-Mercosur agreement as this will undermine the stringent EU standards for animal welfare, environmental protection, and consumer health.

Allowing access to the European market for products that fail to meet these established standards would be a disservice to EU producers and consumers alike. We urge EU policymakers to reject this agreement in its current form and to champion a trade policy that upholds the rigorous standards of our agricultural sector and reflects European values.”