Polish MEP Jadwiga Wiśniewska (ECR) has submitted a written parliamentary question to the European Commission, raising concerns about food safety and fair competition following the discovery of salmonella contamination in the first batch of frozen poultry imported from Brazil under the provisional trade part of the EU-Mercosur agreement. The question, dated 8 May 2026, warns that the incident exposes systemic risks to EU consumers and farmers as trade liberalisation proceeds without adequate sanitary controls.
Wiśniewska cites reports that around 80% of samples from a three-tonne batch of Brazilian poultry received in Greece tested positive for salmonella and were withdrawn. She notes that experts have warned that effective control of millions of tonnes of imported food is impossible due to understaffed veterinary services and an inadequate control system. The MEP argues that the Commission is pushing trade liberalisation without ensuring food security for EU citizens or fair competition for European farmers.
The question makes three concrete demands: first, how the Commission intends to guarantee health security amid rising imports from Mercosur; second, whether it will immediately suspend imports from establishments or countries where dangerous pathogens are detected and remove them from the list under Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/405; and third, why the Commission is pursuing liberalisation with countries that do not meet EU sanitary standards, thereby risking consumer health and undermining EU farmer competitiveness.
Policy orientation and expected follow-up
The question reflects a protectionist and food-safety-first stance, pushing for stricter import controls and a potential halt to Mercosur trade liberalisation if sanitary standards are not met. It targets the Commission's balancing act between trade expansion and regulatory enforcement. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks; its answer will signal whether it prioritises trade flows or tightens import controls in response to the contamination incident.