Digital certificate facilitates Brazilian poultry exports to the EU

The novelty brings cost reduction and more legal security to exporters and has been working since last week. The first export using the digital certificate went through the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The certificate of origin is an obligatory document for Brazilian exports to benefit from European tariffs quottas, established within of World Trade Organization scope. The practice began in the UK last year and is now valid for the 27 countries of the European bloc.

No more fee

The EU and the UK issue 14,000 certificates per year for €30 each. The digitalisation of operations also eliminates this fee, which means savings of €430,000 annually for Brazilian exporters.

In 2023, exports of these products to the EU reached US$490 million, equivalent to 55% of the total imported by the block. The digitised issuance must be made through the Single Foreign Trade Portal.

The innovation came from joint efforts by the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) and the European Commission. “This milestone not only strengthens Brazil’s position as the main exporter of poultry meat in the world, but also demonstrates our ability to innovate and reduce bureaucracy in trade,” highlights the vice president and minister of the MDIC, Geraldo Alckmin.

Brazil on the global market

The model came from a Brazilian request to facilitate bilateral trade flow, improve controls, and fully integrate operations with the Single Portal, eliminating bureaucratic steps.

“President Lula’s government continues to work in partnership with the productive sector to promote the competitiveness of Brazilian products in the global market,” he concludes.

During the transition process to the digital model, the MDIC will provide a communication channel dedicated to any doubts or difficulties encountered by exporters and importers.