Switzerland joins EU ban on Brazilian beef and poultry imports

Switzerland is now enforcing the European Union's latest import ban on Brazilian beef and poultry, a step taken to limit the spread of antibiotic resistance. The EU's rule prohibits the use of antibiotics for growth promotion in livestock and bans certain drugs critical for human medicine, standards that Brazil does not meet. Swiss authorities, through the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs, confirmed that Brazilian meat imports have been stopped.

Proviande, a meat industry association, expects little change for consumers because the majority of Swiss beef is produced locally, while about 40% of poultry is imported, with roughly one-third of that coming from Brazil. Retailers such as Migros and Coop indicated that only a small number of products will be affected, though a price rise cannot be completely ruled out.