World leader, Brazilian poultry industry sees “one-off” case and hopes to resume exports soon

The chicken meat production chain sees the case of bird flu detected in Rio Grande do Sul as "one-off" and believes in a rapid reestablishment of exports to countries that suspended purchases of Brazilian products. The outbreak of the bird flu virus in the South was the first ever recorded in the country on a commercial farm.

Confirmation of the disease on a commercial farm led trading partners such as China and the European Union (EU) to temporarily suspend the purchase of chicken meat and derivatives from Brazil, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro.

The world's largest exporter, Brazil was until then the only major producer free from the disease on commercial farms, which gave it an advantage over its competitors.

The consequences of the avian influenza case on national production will depend on how quickly the country can contain the virus. The predominant system is agro-industrial integration, in which large slaughterhouses supply animals, feed and medicines, while producers – most of whom own small or medium-sized properties – raise the birds according to standards. It is estimated that the sector employs 4 million people, directly and indirectly.

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), which is making statements on the case on behalf of the poultry sector, says that at this time it is not possible to measure the commercial impacts that confirmation of the disease could have on the country. However, it says it trusts in Brazil's expertise in conducting negotiations to overturn the embargoes, as has happened in similar situations before.

On July 18th of last year, Brazilian poultry meat exports were temporarily suspended to 44 countries on the initiative of the federal government itself, after the identification of the Newcastle disease virus in a poultry farm in Anta Gorda (RS).

Depending on the trading partner, the suspension included production from the entire country, only from Rio Grande do Sul or from a 50 km radius of the identified case.

A week later, the outbreak was considered eliminated, and the lockdowns began to be lifted. China, one of the last countries to resume importing chicken meat at the time, resumed purchases 26 days after the suspension.

Brazil is the world leader in chicken meat exports

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of chicken meat, ahead of the United States and the entire European Union. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), 5.3 million tons of Brazilian product were shipped abroad last year, a 3% increase compared to 2023.

China is the main foreign destination for Brazilian chicken meat. In 2024, the Asian country imported 562.2 thousand tons of Brazilian protein, equivalent to 10.9% of all national exports, according to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex) of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC).

Other important markets for Brazilian chicken meat include the United Arab Emirates, which imported 455,100 tonnes last year; Japan (445,200 tonnes); Saudi Arabia (370,800 tonnes); South Africa (325,400 tonnes) and the Philippines (234,900 tonnes). The EU purchased 231,900 tonnes of Brazilian chicken in 2024.

Rio Grande do Sul, where the H5N1 virus was detected on a commercial farm, was responsible for the export of 619.8 thousand tons of chicken meat in 2024, equivalent to 13.4% of all Brazilian external sales of the product, behind only Paraná (41.1%) and Santa Catarina (22.6%).

Area within a 10 km radius of the farm where the outbreak was detected is isolated

The first Brazilian case of detection of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HIAIV) in a commercial poultry breeding farm was confirmed this Thursday (15) by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa).

The diagnosis was made by the Federal Laboratory of Agricultural Diagnostics, in Campinas (SP), after collecting samples from a poultry breeding establishment in Montenegro (RS).

The suspicion of avian respiratory and nervous syndrome, one of the symptoms of IAAP, had been reported on Monday (12) to the Department of Animal Health Surveillance and Defense (DDA) of the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation (Seapi) of Rio Grande do Sul.

The Rio Grande do Sul government reported that, with the confirmation of the outbreak, the Official Veterinary Service (SVO-RS) isolated the area in Montenegro and eliminated the remaining birds, so that the farm sanitation protocol could be initiated, as provided for in the National Avian Influenza Contingency Plan.

The Brazilian health protocol determines that an area within a 10-kilometer radius of the place where the infection was detected must be isolated for a period of 60 days. The federal government has declared a state of animal health emergency throughout the country for the same period.

Industry entities say that the case of bird flu is “one-off”

ABPA and the Rio Grande do Sul Poultry Association (ASGAV) released a joint official statement, in which they classify the case as “one-off”. The sector entities state that they support Mapa and Seapi in the process of identifying, communicating and containing the situation.

“All necessary measures to control the situation were quickly adopted, and the situation is under control and monitoring by government agencies,” says an excerpt from the statement.

“At the same time, the entities trust in the speed of the negotiations that will be adopted by the Ministry and the Secretariat at all levels, so that any effects arising from the situation are resolved as soon as possible”, the associations state.

ABPA intended to use Brazil's health status, free from avian influenza in commercial production, as one of the national product's differentials at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (Sial), one of the largest food and beverage fairs in the world, which will take place in Shanghai, China, next week.

In February, the entity's president, Ricardo Santin, stated that projections for Brazilian chicken meat exports in 2025 would probably be revised upwards, given the numerous outbreaks of avian influenza in competing countries and also in importing nations.

The United States had reported 1,700 outbreaks of H5N1 by the end of April, including 13 cases in wild birds, 618 in poultry, 53 in wild mammals and 1,021 in wild mammals, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

In a statement, the Parliamentary Front for Agriculture (FPA) said it has “full confidence” in Minister Carlos Fávaro to manage the problem. The FPA also asked that rural producers continue to adopt measures to isolate animals to eliminate the source of the disease.

The Union of Federal Agricultural Tax Auditors (Anffa Sindical), on the other hand, released a note in which it states that a deficit of employees in the category “compromises Brazil's response capacity to the risk of spreading the disease”.

According to the entity, which advocates the immediate call-up of those approved in public examinations for the reserve list, the number of professionals in active service is “well below what is necessary to meet the growing demand, especially in a scenario of rising exports and intensification of the agricultural flow”.

Bird flu is not transmitted by eating meat or eggs

The disease is not transmitted by consuming meat or eggs from infected birds, emphasize sector entities and government agencies.

“MAPA warns that the disease is not transmitted by the consumption of poultry meat or eggs. The Brazilian and global population can rest assured regarding the safety of inspected products, with no restrictions on their consumption,” says a note from Mapa.

“The risk of human infection by the avian influenza virus is low and, in most cases, occurs among handlers or professionals with intense contact with infected birds (alive or dead).”

Worldwide, in more than two decades, from 2003 to April 22, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 973 human cases of avian influenza, with 470 deaths worldwide, resulting in a fatality rate of 48%.

Brazil has 166 confirmed cases in wild or subsistence birds

According to data from Mapa, from 2022 until now, 3,934 investigations into suspected avian respiratory and nervous syndrome have been carried out across the country.

Of these investigations, 1,076 cases were considered probable and led to the collection of samples for laboratory diagnosis. As of Thursday, of the 166 confirmed outbreaks of the disease, 163 had been identified in wild birds and three in subsistence birds.

One of the suspected confirmed cases in a commercial bird resulted in the diagnosis of Newcastle disease on July 17 of last year. In October, 90 days after the outbreak was eradicated, the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) recognized the end of the outbreak in Brazil.