In an action that certainly and surely will have far reaching implications not only in Brazil alone but across the world – AGPs may eventually be staring an end-of-road scenario. Companies like Phibro, which are marketing and promoting AGPs as their primary product portfolios are already working on re-drawing their portfolios.
BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL — The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) has enacted a major policy that is reshaping the global animal health, feed manufacturing, and livestock export sectors.
Following its official publication by the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense (SDA/MAPA), Ordinance (Portaria) No. 1,617/2026 establishes a strict nationwide ban on the importation, manufacture, commercialization, and zootechnical use of key antimicrobial additives used as performance enhancers (growth promoters) in animal feed.
The directive immediately cancels the product registrations of several long-standing feed antibiotics. This represents a major escalation in Brazil’s efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and align its meat production standards with demanding international export markets.
Prohibited Substances
The regulatory action targets five major antimicrobial molecules and their derivatives, which have been widely utilized to optimize feed conversion ratios (FCR) in the country’s massive poultry, swine, and beef cattle sectors
[SDA/MAPA 1,617/2026 PROHIBITED ADDITIVES]
├── Virginiamycin ─────────────────► Immediate Growth Promotion Ban
├── Zinc Bacitracin ───────────────► Immediate Growth Promotion Ban
├── Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate ──► Immediate Growth Promotion Ban
└── Avoparcin & Basic Bacitracin ──► Immediate Growth Promotion Ban
Prescription Transition
Under the new legal framework, any veterinary drug containing these specific molecules that previously held a “dual indication” (registered for both therapeutic disease control and performance enhancement) must undergo an immediate administrative update.
Moving forward, these compounds are strictly banned as routine feed additives. Their use is restricted entirely to therapeutic or metaphylactic veterinary interventions, requiring a formal diagnosis and a validated prescription signed by a licensed veterinarian.
180-Day Transition and Recall Timeline
To prevent immediate supply chain chaos and allow commercial feed mills, integrations, and premix blenders to adjust, MAPA—coordinated through Clarifying Circular Ofício-Circular No. 29/2026/CGIPE—has mapped out an explicit, phased wind-down timeline:
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30-Day Stock Declaration: Within 30 days of the ordinance’s publication, all registration holders and pharmaceutical manufacturers must submit comprehensive data to MAPA. This disclosure must include the exact batch numbers and quantities of the last manufactured or imported product runs, along with current warehouse inventory levels
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180-Day Grace Window: Products manufactured or imported prior to the official enforcement date can legally clear customs, enter commercial retail channels, and be consumed at the farm level for up to 180 days
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Hard Recall Mandate: Once this 180-day grace period expires, any remaining retail or farm-level stocks of the prohibited growth promoters must be securely recalled, recorded, and reprocessed under official veterinary inspection
Strategic Drivers: The EU Mirror-Measure Threat
While MAPA presents this ordinance as a domestic public health victory aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, international trade analysts note that the timing is directly tied to an escalating export crisis.
European Union is set to enforce its highly anticipated AMR Mirror-Measure (Regulation 2019/6) on September 3, 2026. This rule bars entry to any foreign meat imports unless the exporting nation can officially certify that the livestock never received antibiotic growth promoters during their production cycle.
Because initial European review drafts omitted Brazil from the approved third-country list due to its widespread use of virginiamycin, Ordinance 1,617 serves as Brazil’s primary regulatory counter-measure to protect its multi-billion dollar meat export access to the EU.
Approved Alternative Additives
The regulation has prompted immediate strategic adjustments from multinational animal health corporations operating within Brazil. For instance, Phibro Animal Health Corporation, a prominent global supplier of virginiamycin (Stafac®), issued a corporate statement confirming they are actively restructuring their commercial portfolio in the region. Phibro is moving away from routine feed enhancement marketing and shifting toward therapeutic-only formulations, predicting minimal overall impact on their long-term fiscal performance.
“Partial Ban” Buffer
Importantly for poultry and livestock integrators, Ordinance 1,617 is a partial ban. MAPA continues to permit the registration and open zootechnical use of several key non-human-critical antimicrobial growth promoters, including:
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Avilamycin
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Enramycin
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Flavomycin (Flavophospholipol)
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Halquinol
By leaving these specific molecules active, the Brazilian government provides a production cushion. This allows poultry and swine integrators to maintain stable feed conversion efficiencies and protect flocks from necrotic enteritis while transitioning away from human-critical antibiotics ahead of international trade deadlines.
Key Beneficiaries
This directive of MAPA, Brazil results in an immediate opportunity for Acidifiers, Probiotics, Butyrates and Biologicals companies to position their products and support animal farmers with alternates to AGPs.
