SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s government has asked China to restrict its embargo on chicken imports to products just from the city of Montenegro, where the South American country last week registered an outbreak of bird flu on a commercial farm, newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported on Tuesday.
On Friday, Brazil reported its first ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, on a commercial breeding farm in Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, prompting a scramble to trace the virus in the country, as well as a slew of international trade bans.
China, a major consumer of Brazilian poultry, immediately suspended imports following the news. The Asian country bought more than 10% of Brazil’s 5.3 million metric tons of chicken exports in 2024, according to national pork and poultry group ABPA.
Other countries that banned imports of Brazilian chicken following the detection of bird flu include the European Union and South Korea.
Deals with other buyers like Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia provide for local trade restrictions.
Chinese customs authorities said imports of poultry products imported from Brazil, shipped on or after May 17, have been suspended.
However, according to Folha, Brazil’s embassy in Beijing has approached Chinese authorities to see if the restricted exports could be limited to those products hailing solely from Montenegro, citing the country’s efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.
“Brazil would like to respectfully explore the possibility of a regionalized approach to this incident, in alignment with the principles of the WOAH (World Organization for Animal Health) and the procedures provided for in the bilateral protocol regarding chicken meat,” Folha quoted the embassy as saying.
The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture did not have an immediate comment.
(Reporting by Isabel Teles, Ella Cao, Ana Mano and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Mark Porter and David Gregorio)
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