🐣 Bird flu is here

EPIDEMIC

Brazil confirms first instance of bird flu in commercial farming

For years, Brazil enjoyed a privileged position in the global poultry market. As the world’s largest chicken exporter, it was one of the few major producers free from H5N1 bird flu — and it even benefited from outbreaks elsewhere that disrupted supply chains and drove up demand for Brazilian chicken.

But that advantage evaporated last Friday, as authorities confirmed Brazil’s first-ever case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on a commercial farm, located in Montenegro, a poultry-producing hub in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. 

The detection has triggered a wave of export suspensions (from at least 10 countries and counting), threatening a key industry that generated more than USD 9 billion in export revenue last year.

Brazil itself temporarily halted exports to China, the European Union and South Africa (its three biggest customers) for 60 days in line with health protocols. Chile, Argentina and Mexico followed with similar bans. Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others, have opted for more limited, regional suspensions.

The Agriculture Ministry estimates that export losses could reach USD 230 million per month.

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