Four major UK farming unions have called on ministers to ban Brazilian meat imports after tests detected sex hormones and salmonella in shipments.
The National Farmers Union, NFU Scotland, Ulster Farmers' Union and NFU Cymru issued a joint letter to Angela Eagle, Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, warning that imported South American meat poses a public health risk.
The European Union will ban imports of Brazilian meat starting on Thursday, prompting British agriculture leaders to demand that the United Kingdom government implement an immediate nationwide ban of its own.
The National Farmers Union represents agriculture producers in England and Wales, operating alongside counterpart unions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to represent agricultural policy and food safety interests. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food standards and agricultural regulations.
Contamination concerns in imported meat
In May, food safety regulators discovered that 80 per cent of a batch of frozen chicken imported to Greece from Brazil contained traces of salmonella, a bacteria capable of causing severe foodborne illness.
Reports published by Food Safety News separately revealed that Brazilian animal carcasses treated with the hormone oestrogen were recently mixed into beef shipments exported to Europe. Both the United Kingdom and the European Union have banned oestrogen treatment in livestock production due to health risks.
Brazil has also failed to guarantee compliance with strict European Union limits on agricultural antibiotic usage. Overusing antibiotics in farm animals increases the risk that dangerous bacteria will adapt and develop resistance, rendering vital human medications ineffective against potentially fatal infections.
Oestrogen is a steroid sex hormone sometimes administered to livestock in non-EU countries to promote rapid growth. Antibiotics are antimicrobial treatments designed to eliminate bacterial infections, but widespread agricultural application accelerates antimicrobial resistance, a growing global health crisis.
Import growth and labelling loopholes
British imports of Brazilian food products have expanded significantly following Brexit. Annual United Kingdom expenditure on imports from Brazil rose from £3 billion in 2021 to £5 billion last year, with spend on Brazilian chicken increasing by at least £2 billion over the same period.
A report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit found that poultry imports from Brazil accounted for approximately 13 per cent of total United Kingdom chicken imports in 2024. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit is an independent non-profit organisation that analyses energy and land use policy.
According to Food Safety News, the vast majority of imported Brazilian meat enters the United Kingdom food service sector, supplying schools, hospitals and restaurants where country-of-origin labelling is not legally required for consumers.
Farming unions demand government ban
The presidents of the four UK farming unions issued a joint statement criticising the government response. "Failure to act will only expose the nation to a public health risk, but damage consumer confidence in beef and poultry," they stated.
The union leaders highlighted standard differences between domestic and foreign producers: "UK farmers have worked hard to cut antibiotic use and maintain some of the highest production standards in the world - we should demand the same of our imported food."
They added: "The absence of any government response is unacceptable, particularly when there is a direct risk to public health."
Scientific research and government response
Despite the warnings raised by agricultural groups, previous analyses have identified little evidence connecting salmonella in Brazilian chicken imports directly to human disease cases in Britain.
A United Kingdom review published in 2022 in the scientific journal PLoS Genetics noted: "Should salmonella from imported Brazilian poultry products reach UK consumers, they are very unlikely to be causing disease." PLoS Genetics is a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: "Our experts have sought urgent information and assurances from Brazil as part of a rapid assessment of beef and poultry production systems to ensure our high food and animal welfare standards are being met."
The spokesperson added: "This government will always act to protect our farmers and the public with our world-leading robust import controls which are in place to protect animal and public health."
Ongoing UK salmonella outbreak
The call for an import ban comes alongside a rising salmonella outbreak across Britain that has killed two people and sickened 474 individuals. The UK Health Security Agency reported last week that cases rose by 25 per cent over the past month.
The UK Health Security Agency is the government body responsible for public health surveillance and infectious disease control. Public health officials suspect imported eggs are the primary source of the outbreak, with confirmed British cases linked to dining "from small cafes, restaurants and takeaway businesses."
Salmonella infections cause severe gastrointestinal illness with symptoms including stomach cramps, diarrhoea, dehydration, blood poisoning and organ failure. Health authorities in European nations including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands are tracking cases, with Dutch officials investigating chicken products as a potential source.
The Food Standards Agency stated there is no evidence that eggs produced in the United Kingdom are affected, but urged individuals handling eggs, shells or packaging to wash hands thoroughly. The Food Standards Agency is the independent government department protecting public health in food safety across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Health authorities have advised vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, individuals over 65 and children under five, to avoid eating runny eggs when dining out.
Among confirmed British salmonella cases, 38 per cent required hospital treatment, involving patients ranging from infants to a 92-year-old. In two instances, the bacteria spread into the bloodstream, creating a life-threatening complication.
Most cases were recorded in recent weeks, though collected samples date back to August of last year. England has recorded the majority of infections, with London and the Yorkshire and Humber region reporting the highest case numbers. Health officials maintain that overall risk to the general public remains low.
