Brazilian hormone beef a major stumbling block ahead of Mercosur talks at G20

15 November 2024

The EU-Mercosur talks around Monday’s G20 in Brazil have found a new major obstacle on the way that directly affects consumer protection around food: Brazilian meat containing estradiol 17β, a hormone long banned in Europe.

Estradiol 17β was prohibited in the EU in 2003, following research indicating that it can induce cancer. Yet this hormone is widely used in breeding by in Brazil, a major exporter of beef which would gain wider access to the EU internal market under the projected EU-Mercosur trade deal, together with Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. According to an internal assessment of the European Commission, published earlier in November, Brazilian authorities have failed to guarantee the traceability of this hormone, potentially allowing for it to enter the diet of European consumers. 41,000 tonnes of Brazilian meat enter the EU every year under the current import rules.

SAFE advocates for stronger import controls to ensure food safety for all Europeans and to guarantee fair competition with European producers. Additionally, SAFE strongly supports policies to strengthen the purchasing power of Europeans to guarantee access to safe, quality food.