Brazil declared itself free of avian influenza (H5N1) this week after 28 days with no new cases reported in commercial poultry farms. The federal government has communicated this new status to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the country can now request its trade partners to lift full or partial bans on Brazilian poultry products.
However, the reactivation of Brazil’s international poultry trade is not automatic.
“We don’t celebrate a crisis, but it’s important to recognize the strength of our sanitary system, which responded with total transparency and efficiency. We followed all the protocols, contained the outbreak, and are now moving responsibly toward a gradual reopening of foreign trade, showcasing the strength of Brazil’s veterinary service,” said Minister Carlos Fávaro.
The virus’s incubation cycle lasts 28 days. If no new cases emerge during this period, Brazil regains its disease-free status in commercial poultry.
Six other suspected bird flu cases in commercial farms were investigated and ruled out. Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in wild birds or backyard poultry across several Brazilian states, but these cases do not affect commercial trade. To date, Brazil has recorded 174 avian flu cases, but only the one in Montenegro occurred in a commercial operation.
Trade restrictions update
Last week, Mexico reduced its restrictions on Brazilian chicken imports, now limiting them to the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Currently, 19 countries restrict imports from that state, and four countries have banned poultry imports only from the municipality of Montenegro (RS).
“This is an important step toward normalizing the flow of Brazilian poultry exports,” said Ricardo Santin, president of the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), in a statement. “Mexico is one of the top ten destinations for our exports and has shown strong growth in imports. We now look forward to a full recovery in exports.”
Japan, meanwhile, temporarily suspended poultry imports from Santo Antônio da Barra, Goiás, and Campinápolis, Mato Grosso, on Tuesday (June 17), after confirming bird flu cases in backyard birds in both locations. The country also halted imports of hatching eggs and day-old chicks from both states.
Mauritania has declared a temporary suspension of poultry imports from all of Brazil, bringing the total number of countries with full bans to 20.