One week after the announcement of the first avian flu outbreak in a Brazilian commercial farm, the number of countries banning Brazilian poultry reached 23, according to the latest update from the Ministry of Agriculture.
As of Friday (23), countries with total bans on poultry exports from Brazil include: China, the European Union, Mexico, Iraq, South Korea, Chile, the Philippines, South Africa, Jordan, Peru, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Malaysia, Argentina, Timor-Leste, Morocco, Bolivia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Albania, and India.
This week, Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Kyrgyzstan lifted their nationwide bans and now restrict exports only from the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Additionally, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Cuba, North Macedonia, Montenegro, the United Kingdom, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Ukraine apply bans only to that state.
The United Arab Emirates and Japan, in turn, have limited restrictions to the municipality of Montenegro, where the virus was detected.
Sanitary measures
The disinfection of the farm where the outbreak was detected has been completed, and on Thursday (May 22), the 28-day countdown began. If no new cases are confirmed during this period, Brazil may self-declare freedom from avian flu, aiming to resume export normalcy.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) is negotiating with health authorities in importing countries to gradually ease restrictions during this period and mitigate the sector’s impact.
“There is no country free of avian flu. Brazil was the last major producer without the disease. This could be a reason for countries to ease their restrictions and ensure domestic supply through imports,” said Luis Rua, Secretary of Trade and International Relations at the ministry, to Valor Econômico.
He believes that with the submission of information and documentation by Brazilian authorities, greater flexibility and regionalization of suspensions should occur starting next week.