It is argued that the state regulation exceeded its authority by restricting a product already authorized at the federal level.

Court Authorizes Import of Vietnamese Tilapia in Santa Catarina, but Keeps Sales Ban

BRAZIL
Friday, January 23, 2026, 07:00 (GMT + 9)

Ruling allows entry only for shipments contracted before December 17, 2025, under strict sanitary controls, citing risks to local aquaculture.

The Santa Catarina State Court of Justice (TJ-SC) has partially authorized the landing of Vietnamese tilapia in Santa Catarina , allowing the entry of shipments that were contracted, paid for, and shipped before December 17, 2025. Despite the exception, the court maintained the ban on sales of the fish within the state, which will remain in force until further evaluation by state health authorities.

The decision was issued by Judge João Henrique Blasi , rapporteur of a lawsuit filed by an importing company seeking to suspend the effects of Ordinance SAQ No. 010/2025 . The ordinance, published by the Santa Catarina state government in December 2025 , prohibited both the entry and sale of Vietnamese tilapia due to alleged sanitary risks to local fish farming.

In his ruling, Judge Blasi recognized the risk of irreparable financial damage to the importer, highlighting costs related to demurrage, port storage , and the potential spoilage of the cargo. He also noted the plausibility of the argument that the state may have exceeded its authority by restricting the entry and transit regulation of a product whose importation had already been authorized by a federal agency .

“The appropriate solution consists of safeguarding public health without sacrificing contractual certainty, through traceability measures, laboratory testing, and segregation capable of mitigating potential risks to consumers,” the judge wrote.

Health risks at the center of the dispute

The restrictions imposed by Santa Catarina are based on technical opinions prepared by Epagri (Agricultural Research and Extension Service of Santa Catarina) and studies conducted in with the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) . The reports warn of the possible presence of the Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) , a pathogen capable of causing high mortality rates in fish stocks and threatening the aquaculture production chain .

According to the court, while the health concern is legitimate , the absence of a completed Import Risk Analysis (ARI) by the competent federal authority weakens the legal basis for a total and definitive ban imposed solely at the state level.

The first container of tilapia imported by JBS from Vietnam was shipped to Brazil on November 6th. 2025. The website Vietnam Today confirmed that on November 6th, a container with the first shipment of 24 tons of Vietnamese tilapia departed from the port of Ho Chi Minh City for export to Brazil by the JBS Group. This is one of the first 32 containers, totaling 700 tons ordered, which will initially be destined for the supermarket system, HORECA distribution, and the JBS product showroom in Brazil. The expected arrival date at the port of Santos is December 17, 2025.

Even so, the authorization granted is limited and conditional . Only eligible shipments may enter the state after complying with strict sanitary requirements , including:

• Presentation of customs and sanitary documentation

• Storage in facilities under official inspection

• An official laboratory report proving the absence of TiLV (Tilapia Lake Virus)

Until a favorable assessment is issued by the state health authority , the commercialization of the product remains prohibited .

Ban maintained for new contracts

The ruling does not affect the validity of Ordinance SAQ No. 010/2025 for new imports. Contracts signed after December 17, 2025 , remain fully prohibited , reinforcing the state government's reliance on the precautionary principle amid scientific uncertainty.

According to the state administration, traditional freezing methods do not guarantee the complete inactivation of the virus, increasing the risk of introducing the pathogen into local production areas . In meetings with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil , the government rejected requests to revoke the ban.

"Santa Catarina has a responsibility to its producers and to sanitary safety. Without scientific guarantees that eliminate the risks identified in technical studies, the prohibition will be maintained," said Tiago Bolan Frigo , Secretary of State for Aquaculture and Fisheries .

The case underscores the ongoing tension between sanitary protection , federal jurisdiction , and legal certainty in the international fish trade, at a moment when Brazilian tilapia farming seeks to expand markets while safeguarding its production base.

Related News:

•  Why did Santa Catarina decide to ban tilapia imported from Vietnam?

  サンタカタリーナzhou, ベトナムproduced ティラピアの input を conditional payment きで permission - sales prohibited は継続

Judgment: Limitation of goods under the contract before December 17, 2025 , recognition of import of goods under the sanitary management system , and maintenance of reasons for the regional breeding industry.

サンタカタリーナState Judicial Court (TJ-SC)は,ベトナムproduced ティラピアのサンタカタリーナ州へのinputへのexceptional recognitionめ, Before December 17, 2025, the contract, payment, and shipment have been completed, and the goods are subject to restrictions and permission to enter the state. One party, the prefecture's sales ban , the prefecture's health authority 's new review, the prefecture's lifting.

このJudgmentは、Enter the company 's decree SAQ No. 010/2025, the validity of which was suspended, the lawsuit was filed by the court, and the report officer, the judge, was the judge, the judge. Tongzheng decree は, In December 2025 , the Ministry of Health and Safety announced by the Prefectural GovernmentをThe reason why the にベトナムproduces the ティラピアのflows into the およびselling売を prohibits the していた.

The accuracy of the judgment, demurrage charges , port storage fees , deterioration of the goods , difficulty in recovery, and possibility of damage are all pointed out.また、Regional organization により input がapproval されていたproducts のEnter domain およびpass をzhou が restriction することは, 権 limit を scape す る possibility が あと の proposition に certain の rationality が あ る と narration べ た.

「Appropriate solution decision-making,トレーサリティ, investigation agency による analysis, separation and storageといったmeasurement を adoption し, consumer safety に対する potential The stability of the public health protection and contract law and the stability of the public health protection and contract law are the same as those of the law.

Discussion center にあるsanitation リスク

サンタカタリーナ州が级したlimited, Epagri (Prefectural Agricultural Research and Popularization Organization ) Epagri The UFSC University jointly researches the technical insights of the base technology .これらのreportは、ティラピア湖ウイルス（TiLV）にrelatedするPotential リスクをWarningしており、こThe pathogens of farmed fish have a high mortality rate , and the risk of aquaculture production is high, and the overall risk of aquaculture production is high.

The opinion of the court, the suspense of the legitimate hygiene, the suspense of the law, the jurisdiction of the Renbang authority, the input analysis (A RI)がまだEnded していないことが, state regulations のみにbased づくcomprehensive かつ long-term な blocking measuresの legitimacy を weak めている.

It is subject to the condition of payment of permission from the judicial department and the judicial department .対娨なるgoodsは、The following をcontains む峳格なsanitary requirementsを満たしたoccasion にのみ, and the prefecture へのmoving in められる.

• Proposal of customs clearance and health-related books

• The facility is maintained under public supervision.

• TiLV (ティラピア湖ウイルス) has not issued an inspection report from the inspection agency that certifies that the company

The state's health authority has confirmed the judgment and indication, and the sale and purchase of products has been prohibited.

New rules and regulations, contract prohibition and maintenance

TJ-SC 's Decision and the Effectiveness of Government Decree SAQ No. 010/2025 and the entry of new regulations have been updated. From December 17, 2025, the contract will be concluded and the contract will be closed . The inaccuracies of the study are based on the precautionary principle and the prefectural government's stance has been revised based on the precautionary principle.

Prefecture government's refrigeration processing refrigeration treatment ではウイルスをcompletely inactivated できるGuaranteed to be safe and safe against pathogens in the production area . Representatives of the Fukuoka Embassy in Fukuoka , Japan and Japan , asked the Japanese government to withdraw the regulations.

「サンタカタリーナ州は, producer is responsible for health and safety responsibility. Technical research is to blame and exclude. Scientific guarantees and restrictions, prohibited measures and maintenance, and the director of Aquaculture and Fisheries of Prefecture .

This article is about international fisheries trade , health protection , joint jurisdiction , and the stability of fishery laws . The market of the ブラジルのティラピアbreeding industry is large, the target is one party, the production base is protected, and the situation is strong and the situation is the same as the case.

  Santa Catarina has conditionally approved the import of tilapia from Vietnam, but the sales ban remains in effect.

The ruling only allows goods contracted before December 17, 2025 , to enter the state under strict sanitary controls , and continues to prohibit their sale in order to protect the local aquaculture industry.

The Santa Catarina State Judicial Court (TJ-SC) has partially approved the importation of tilapia from Vietnam into Santa Catarina , allowing entry only for shipments contracted , paid for, and shipped before December 17, 2025. However, the ruling explicitly states that the sale of this product within the state remains prohibited pending further evaluation by the state health authorities .

The ruling was made by Judge João Henrique Blasi , the reporting judge in a lawsuit brought by an importing company . The company requested a suspension of SAQ Regulation No. 010/2025 , issued by the Santa Catarina State Government in December 2025 , which prohibits the import and sale of Vietnamese tilapia due to sanitary risks .

In his ruling, the judge acknowledged that importers could face irreversible economic losses , including demurrage , port storage costs , and the risk of cargo spoilage . He also noted that the state government's ban on entry and transit might have exceeded its authority , as the importation of the products in question had previously been approved by federal authorities .

The judge stated in his ruling: "A reasonable solution is to protect public health without sacrificing the certainty of contractual law by implementing traceability measures, laboratory testing, and isolation management to reduce potential risks to consumer safety."

Health risks become the focus of controversy

The restrictions implemented by Santa Catarina are based on technical advice from Epagri (Santa Catarina's agricultural research and extension agency) and a joint study with the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) . The research indicates a potential risk related to Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) , a pathogen that can cause high mortality rates in farmed fish and severely impact the aquaculture industry chain .

The court held that while health concerns were legitimate , the legal basis for a comprehensive, permanent lockdown based solely on state regulations was insufficient , as the federal authorities had not yet completed an import risk analysis (ARI) .

Even so, the court-approved import permits are partial and conditional . Approved goods can only enter the state after meeting the following stringent sanitary requirements :

• Submit customs and health-related documents

• Stored in officially regulated facilities

• Official laboratory test reports proving that TiLV ( tilapia lake virus) was not detected.

The sale of this product will remain prohibited until the state health authorities issue an affirmative opinion .

The new contract remains subject to the injunction.

The TJ-SC ruling does not alter the validity of SAQ Regulation 010/2025 for new import contracts. Contracts concluded after December 17, 2025 , remain prohibited , further demonstrating the state government 's precautionary stance in the face of scientific uncertainty .

The state government stated that traditional freezing methods cannot ensure the complete inactivation of the virus, thus increasing the risk of pathogens being introduced into aquaculture production areas . In talks with representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil , the Santa Catarina state government also rejected requests to rescind the regulation.

Tiago Bolan Frigo, the State Secretary for Aquaculture and Fisheries of Santa Catarina, stated, " The State of Santa Catarina has a responsibility to the safety and health of its producers . The ban will remain in effect until the risks identified by the Institute of Technology have been completely eliminated by scientific evidence ."

This case highlights the conflict between health and safety protection , federal jurisdiction , and legal certainty in international seafood trade , and also reflects the real challenges faced by Brazil's tilapia farming industry in protecting its production base while seeking market consolidation and expansion.

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