Sao Paulo (AP) – Mexico, Chile, and Uruguay have ceased importing poultry from Brazil following the confirmation of the First Avian Influenza Outbreak on Commercial Farms, authorities reported on Saturday.
On Friday, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock announced that both China and the European Union had halted poultry imports from Brazil.
Mexico’s National Services for Agricultural Health, Safety and Quality stated on Saturday that it has temporarily suspended imports of chicken, fertile eggs, live birds, and other poultry products as a precautionary measure.
Chile and Uruguay have also discontinued poultry imports, Luis Lua, the international trade secretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, informed local news service broadcaster Agro.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, Brazil is among the world’s top chicken producers and exporters, accounting for 14% of global chicken production.
Due to an egg shortage in the US, Brazilian egg exports surged to the US, increasing over 1,000% from January to April 2025, according to trade data from the Brazilian government.
Brazilian authorities added on Friday that the virus was detected at a facility in the southern province of Rio Grande do Sul, emphasizing the need to “not only eliminate the disease but also maintain the sector’s production capacity, ensure supply, and implement contingency plans to secure food for the population.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has also informed the world’s Animal Health Organization, the Ministry of Health and the Environment, and Brazil’s trading partners.
Poultry export restrictions are enforced according to agreed-upon regulations with each importing nation, based on the requirements of the international health certificate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock noted. Depending on the specific illness, some transactions are subject to nationwide restrictions, while others focus on particular sources.
Brazilian chicken exports have faced previous scrutiny beyond hygiene issues. In 2018, the European Union temporarily banned imports of chicken from 20 Brazilian plants due to concerns about salmonella, a matter that Brazil subsequently brought before the World Trade Organization.
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Source: apnews.com