Brazil will contest European restrictions on chicken

Brazil will begin consultations at the World Trade Organization regarding restrictions imposed by the European Union on imports of Brazilian chicken. A preliminary examination of the measure indicates discrimination, says Carlos Marcio Cozendey, at the Economic Department of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations.

According to Cozendey, the new EU norms are determinal to Brazilian chicken producers and have already caused a shutdown at a large exporter. “Brasilia sees this as a case of noncompliance with WTO rules. In fact, there is discrimination of a national product without a sanitation justification,” said the diplomat. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Union of Poultry Producers complains that the norms could mean up to $450 million in losses.