The ongoing Tax Auditors’ strike in Brazil has significantly disrupted the country’s export processes, including red meat and poultry exports.
The strike has caused delays in customs operations, with goods being held at ports and airports for extended periods. This has increased the average clearance time from one day to 30 days, creating logistical challenges for exporters.
Red Meat and Poultry Imports Affected by Delays
Importers are experiencing extensive delays in receiving couriered original documents from Brazil which are required to release containers in cold stores from South African ports.
These delays have resulted in increased storage and transportation costs for South African importers, along with interruptions in supply chain for manufactures; customers and retailers in the red meat and poultry industry The meat processing sector relies heavily on mechanically de-boned meat (MDM), imported primarily from Brazil which is used in the manufacturing of processed meat products such as viennas, polony and sausages.
These products form the foundation of high-value affordable protein that lower-income South African consumers depend upon.
Meeting Held on March 25th
The impacts of the ongoing Tax Auditors’ strike on tax collection in Rio de Janeiro and its municipalities were discussed during a meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, between the National Board of Sindifisco Nacional and the Deputy Secretary General of the Rio de Janeiro State Treasury, Gustavo Tillmann.
The meeting also featured participation from Sindifisco Nacional’s leadership team, highlighting the critical nature of the issue.
Prolonged Strike and Revenue Losses
The president of Sindifisco Nacional, Auditor-Fiscal Dão Real, stated that the 119-day strike resulted from the Ministry of Management and Innovation’s (MGI) failure to honour an agreement regarding salary adjustments.
The strike has caused delays in cargo releases at ports, airports, and customs areas, directly affecting ICMS tax collection on imports.
In January alone, R$14 billion in anticipated tax transactions remain unresolved, reducing transfers to state and municipal participation funds and impacting fiscal balance.
Sindifisco Nacional emphasised the urgency of resolving the strike, warning that stalled projects exacerbate fiscal risks and hinder critical public policies.
Dão Real urged collaboration among governors, mayors, and parliament members to pressure the MGI into meeting the Auditors’ demands. He also noted support from the Federal Revenue Service.
Government Response
Gustavo Tillmann acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and committed to providing data on the strike’s impacts, to be presented to Finance Minister Fernando Haddad during his upcoming Brasília visit.
The State Treasury advisor, Luana Lourenço, echoed this commitment.
ChickenFacts is actively tracking developments and will provide updates as they unfold.
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