Brazil declares itself free of avian influenza

Brazil is officially free from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in commercial poultry farms, having completed the 28-day sanitary standstill. Since the announcement, the country has counted 33 days without new outbreaks in professional establishments.

On Wednesday 18 June, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) formally notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of the conclusion of the sanitary standstill – the final step required under international protocols to eliminate the disease focus.

The standstill period began on 22 May, immediately after the sanitisation of the farm in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul. The city had an outbreak on 16 May, which was the first – and only – case of HPAI in a commercial poultry unit in Brazil that was confirmed.

With the conclusion of all required sanitary measures and no further outbreaks detected, Brazil is able to reaffirm its status as free from HPAI – a vital condition for unlocking negotiations with international markets that had imposed temporary restrictions.

“We do not celebrate a crisis, but we must acknowledge the strength of our sanitary system, which responded with total transparency and efficiency. We contained the outbreak, followed all international protocols and, now, move forward responsibly towards recovering international trade,” stated agriculture minister Carlos Fávaro.

The notification process to WOAH is being conducted by the Secretariat for Agricultural Defence at Mapa, based on rigorous technical criteria and full transparency.

The entire process – from detection of the outbreak, through the sanitary standstill, to the country’s self-declaration as disease-free – has been formally documented.

At the same time, the Brazilian government has begun direct communication with countries that had temporarily restricted imports of Brazilian poultry products, aiming to accelerate the reopening of these markets.

“We have reached the end of the sanitary standstill with the formal self-declaration that Brazil is free of avian influenza in commercial poultry farms. This reinforces the credibility of our sanitary system and represents a decisive step towards normalising exports,” highlighted Carlos Goulart, Secretary for Agricultural Defence at Mapa.

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) welcomed the formal self-declaration delivered by Mapa to WOAH. According to ABPA’s president, Ricardo Santin, this is a crucial step towards accelerating negotiations to restore Brazil’s poultry exports to the various markets that currently maintain restrictions or suspensions.

According to him, the sector is confident that exports will quickly return to normal and that Brazil’s role in supporting global food security will be further strengthened.

“The 28-day sanitary standstill represents 2 full life cycles of the virus, ensuring the affected farm is completely safe. This self-declaration restores our sanitary status. At a time when dozens of countries – including all major poultry producers – are grappling with outbreaks in their production chains, Brazil has successfully overcome the only occurrence in the history of its poultry sector.

Tags: poultry farms, outbreak, highly pathogenic avian influenza, WOAH, Brazil