China, Japan, Mexico, Chile and Uruguay are among the markets which have restricted or banned outright the importation of poultry products from Brazil after the detection of highly pathogenic bird flu on a poultry farm there last week.Brazil’s ministry of agriculture and livestock confirmed that the bird flu was discovered on a “commercial poultry breeding facility” in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
China, Japan, Mexico, Chile and Uruguay are among the markets which have restricted or banned outright the importation of poultry products from Brazil after the detection of highly pathogenic bird flu on a poultry farm there last week.
Brazil’s ministry of agriculture and livestock confirmed that the bird flu was discovered on a “commercial poultry breeding facility” in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The ministry said that the case marks the first detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Brazil in almost 20 years.
Authorities there reiterated that the virus is not transmitted through the consumption of poultry meat or eggs and that consumers should remain confident in the safety of inspected poultry products.
“The risk of human infection is low and is generally associated with direct, prolonged contact with infected birds, whether alive or dead,” the ministry stated last week.
Containment and eradication measures have been implemented, with veterinary services kept “trained and equipped for the prevention and management of avian influenza since the early 2000s”.
“These efforts are aimed at eliminating the outbreak, safeguarding the productivity of Brazil’s poultry sector, and ensuring the continued supply of safe, high-quality food to the population.
“Over the past two decades, numerous proactive measures have been taken to prevent the virus from entering Brazil’s commercial poultry sector.
“These include the monitoring of wild bird populations, epidemiological surveillance of both commercial and backyard poultry farms, ongoing training of public and private veterinary professionals, sanitary awareness campaigns, and surveillance at points of entry for animals and animal products."
The outbreak comes after Brazil’s agriculture ministry reported that April exports performed “steady growth and rising demand for higher value-added products” in the EU for products including poultry meat.
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