Brazil suspends poultry exports due to Newcastle Disease outbreak

Brazil has announced a voluntary suspension of chicken meat, egg, and poultry product exports following the confirmation of a Newcastle Disease outbreak at a farm in the city of Anta Gorda, Rio Grande do Sul. This self-embargo may impact up to 60,000 tonnes monthly on international trade.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) communicated the measure last week (18 July), establishing a self-suspension of exports for 21 days.

The suspension affects shipments to different countries according to the sanitary requirements agreed with each. Nations such as China, Argentina, Peru, and Mexico foresee restrictions on the entire Brazilian territory.

The impacted products include poultry meat, fresh meat and derivatives, eggs, animal feed, raw poultry material for opotherapeutic purposes, meat preparations, and untreated blood-derived products.

For the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the third-largest chicken meat exporter in Brazil, the restrictions are even more severe. Poultry products are prohibited from being exported to an extensive list of over 50 countries, including South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the European Union, and Vietnam, among others.

Within a 50 km radius of the outbreak, the prohibition extends to poultry meat, poultry meal and feathers for use in animal feed, as well as cooked and processed meat products, with destinations such as Canada, Japan, and Israel.

According to the president of ABPA (Brazilian Association for Animal Protein), Ricardo Santin, the self-embargo announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil was expected due to the sanitary agreements signed by Brazil, and it reinforces the stance of transparency regarding sanitary care in production.

As he presented, Brazilian exports average 430,000 tonnes per month. In the most extreme scenario, the destinations with some type or total restriction, whether at the country or state level, could impact these destinations by a maximum of 60,000 tonnes.

“This does not mean this volume will go for the domestic market. Probably the flows will be allocated to other potential demanding destinations for these products, especially when international demand is high,” analyses Santin.

The data would represent, at most, between 5% and 7% of Brazil’s monthly production.

“It is worth reiterating that this is an extreme and not expected scenario regarding market behaviour. There are already indications of potential resumptions in the short term, thanks to the swift and transparent work of clarification by the technical authorities and the negotiations by the Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs,” adds the director of markets, Luís Rua, who participated in the press conference.

In response to the outbreak, Mapa declared a zoosanitary emergency in Rio Grande do Sul for 90 days. This measure aims to expedite epidemiological surveillance and the implementation of outbreak eradication procedures.

This measure is part of the previously defined Contingency Plan for Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease. Actions include culling infected birds, cleaning and disinfection of the site, other biosecurity measures, and surveillance zones within a 10 km radius.

The outbreak was confirmed on 17 July by the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory of São Paulo (LFDA-SP), recognised by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The virus was identified in a batch of broiler chickens, leading to the immediate quarantine of the poultry establishment and the suspension of bird movements.

Afterwards, Mapa reported that other 3 suspected outbreaks of Newcastle Disease have been ruled out. The confirmation came after analyses by the Federal Agricultural Defence Laboratory of São Paulo (LFDA-SP) revealed negative results for the virus.

The samples were collected on 19 July from properties located in the protection zone established for Newcastle Disease by the state’s animal health surveillance and defence team, in conjunction with the Mapa team.

Despite the outbreak, Mapa assures that the consumption of poultry products inspected by the Official Veterinary Service (SVO) remains safe.

Francisco Lopes, Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Health and Defence (DDA) of Rio Grande do Sul, stressed that teams are investigating poultry properties in the region, as well as to guide on biosecurity measures and raise awareness among the population for reporting suspicions.

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