Brazilian states organize to prevent the spread of bird flu

The 27 Brazilian states have begun to take measures at the regional level to prevent the advance of the bird flu in the country, where 65 cases have been reported in wild birds and 2 in birds for family consumption, although for the moment there are no records of commercial production.

Brazil is the largest exporter of chicken meat in the world, with a 35% from the international market, and on May 22, it decreed a state of national animal health emergency due to the appearance of the first outbreaks of the disease in the wild.

However, in the last month two cases have been reported in subsistence production: one in the state of Espírito Santo (southeast) and another in the state of Santa Catarina (south), the second largest chicken exporter in Brazil.

Against this background, the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, met last Thursday with governors and representatives of the 27 Brazilian states to ask them to “Reinforce containment actions and prevent the advance of the disease.”

“For the confrontation measures to be effective, it is necessary for the states to adopt similar measures (to those taken by the federal government), reinforcing the alert even in localities where there are no records”he indicated the wallet.

The primary objective is to avoid at all costs a case of bird flu in commercial production, which “It would affect the whole country.”

Bahia also decrees emergency

In this sense, the State of Bahia (northeast) decreed this Saturday a state of animal health emergency in the region to promote preventive actions.

In Bahia, through whose territory one of the main migratory routes of wild birds that cross the continent passes, the first case of avian flu was reported on June 17 and since then three more have been registered, all of them wild.

The governor of Bahia, Jerônimo Rodrigues, explained in a note that his decision falls within the “collective agreement”, reached last Thursday between the federal government and the 27 states, to take “preventive actions to control the disease”.

Japan partially suspends purchases

Although to date no cases have been detected in the commercial chain, Brazil is already feeling the first impacts on its exports, after Japan temporarily suspended purchases from Espírito Santo and Santa Catarina.

Of the total 2.63 million tons of chicken exported by Brazil in the first half of the year, Japan was the destination of 219,800 tons, a 8.5% more than in the same period of 2022, according to official data.

The measure will especially affect Santa Catarina, which is Brazil’s second largest chicken exporter.

Next week, Fávaro will be on an official visit to Asia, which has been increasing purchases of Brazilian chicken this year, and plans to meet with Japanese authorities to “reaffirm sanitary security measures in production” national.

“We are working quickly and transparently, promptly adopting all control measures so that consumers of our chicken products, which are in more than 150 countries, continue calm and confident”indicated the minister in a note.

Source: EFE