Brazil meat lobby says UK has used rules for chicken exporting plants

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian meat lobby ABPA, which represents pork and poultry processors, said on Monday Britain had approved a "pre-listing" model for chicken exporting plants based in the South American country.

Under the system, all companies that wish to ship chicken to the UK market must be approved by the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry, no longer requiring British authorities to clear individual suppliers.

This is the second positive development for bilateral trade this year, ABPA said.

In April, Britain raised chicken import quotas from Brazil to 96,500 metric tons per year, up 16,600 metric tons from the previous threshold, generating a potential annual increase of around $60 million in revenue from exports to the UK.

In a statement, the Brazilian government welcomed the "pre-listing" decision from the UK, which was based on a technical report carried out by British officials in October 2022, which focused on the Brazilian system for inspecting products of animal origin, notably beef and poultry.

It was the first British audit mission abroad after Brexit, the Brazilian government said.

(Reporting by Ana Mano and Peter Frontini; Editing by Alex Richardson)