Bird flu: countries resume imports of Brazilian chicken

Brasília, 24 – After the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) acknowledged the end of a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) recorded on a commercial farm in Brazil, importing countries are resuming purchases of Brazilian chicken. Among the markets, South Korea, Iraq, Morocco and Bolivia have informed the Brazilian government of the end of restrictions, according to the Secretary of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Luis Rua. “The markets are gradually reopening and trade is resuming. This movement has been taking place since Brazil declared itself free of avian influenza in its commercial flocks last Wednesday,” said Rua.

Until then, Iraq, South Korea and Morocco maintained an embargo on all Brazilian products, while Bolivia restricted the import of chicken from Rio Grande do Sul. “South Korea, in addition to lifting the embargo, agreed to regionalize the protocol, limiting embargoes, in possible new cases, only to the state where the disease is eventually reported,” Rua noted.

The list of markets to which chicken meat exports from all over Brazil are still suspended has fallen from 20 to 17, according to the most recent survey by the Ministry of Agriculture. Shipments of Brazilian poultry products to China, the European Union, Chile, the Philippines, Peru, Albania, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Malaysia, Mauritania, Argentina, East Timor, India, Sri Lanka, North Macedonia and Pakistan have been temporarily paused.

The list includes nations that have suspended imports of poultry products from Brazil and for which Brazil has stopped certifying exports as provided for in the health agreement established with each country. The temporary and precautionary suspensions of purchases of Brazilian chicken from the entire Brazilian territory, the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the municipality of Montenegro or within a 10 km radius of where the outbreak was detected are provided for in the health protocol agreed with Brazil and the importing countries.

There are also 17 markets to which chicken exports from Rio Grande do Sul are prohibited. This is the case for Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, Oman, South Africa, the Eurasian Union (Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan), Angola, Turkey, Bahrain, Cuba, Montenegro, Namibia, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan have suspended purchases of chicken meat and poultry products from the municipality of Montenegro (RS), where the outbreak of the disease was detected, as provided for in the protocol agreed upon by the countries with Brazil. Another 18 markets have limited the suspension of shipments to a radius of 10 kilometers from the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak.

The government expects that after the outbreak of the disease in commercial poultry is over, more importing countries will relax restrictions on domestic chicken. The Ministry of Agriculture has notified each importing country about the resumption of avian flu-free status in commercial poultry, but recognition and authorization of the resumption of shipments depends on the health authority of each country.

The Brazilian government is already negotiating with countries that import poultry products to relax the suspension of purchases of chicken meat and derivatives from Brazil. Talks are already underway to minimize the impact of the first outbreak of avian flu in a commercial flock in the country on the trade balance of Brazilian agribusiness.