Top Brazil chicken exporter faces trade ban after Bird Flu found in poultry

Brazil, the world’s largest chicken exporter, confirmed its first bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm on Friday, prompting China to impose a country-wide trade ban and other major consumers to enforce state-wide restrictions.

In 2024, Brazil exported $10 billion worth of chicken meat, accounting for about 35% of global trade. Meat processors BRF (BRFS3.SA) and JBS (JBSS3.SA) shipped much of that chicken to some 150 countries.

China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates serve as the main destinations for Brazil’s chicken exports.

On Friday, Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said China banned poultry imports from the country for 60 days. He added that, under agreements with Japan, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, trade bans would restrict shipments only from the affected state and eventually just the specific municipality.

The farm ministry said the outbreak occurred in the city of Montenegro in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul. In July 2024, national poultry group ABPA reported that the state accounts for 15% of Brazilian poultry production and exports.



BRF operates five processing plants in the state. JBS has also invested in local chicken processing plants under its Seara brand.

The state agricultural secretariat said veterinary officials have begun isolating the outbreak area in Montenegro and are culling the remaining birds, following protocol.

“A complementary investigation will be carried out within an initial radius of 10 km (6 miles) from the area where the outbreak occurred, and into possible links with other properties,” the secretariat said.

Farm Minister Favaro said Brazil is working to contain the outbreak and negotiate lifting trade restrictions sooner than the two months stipulated in protocols.

“If we manage to eliminate the outbreak, we think it’s possible to re-establish a normal trade flow before the 60 days are up, including with China,” Favaro said in an interview aired on CNN Brasil.

He added that trade restrictions will not affect chicken products shipped by Thursday. The ministry said it is officially notifying the World Organization for Animal Health.



The industry group ABPA said in a statement that government agencies quickly adopted all necessary measures to control the situation, and they are monitoring it.

JBS directed questions about the outbreak to ABPA.

BRF CEO Miguel Gularte told analysts on an earnings call that he trusts Brazilian health protocols are strong and that they will quickly overcome the situation.

Since 2022, bird flu has swept through the U.S. poultry industry, killing around 170 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds, severely affecting meat and egg production.

Since 2024, bird flu has infected nearly 70 people in the U.S., causing one death. Most infections have occurred among farmworkers exposed to infected poultry or cows.

The disease’s further spread increases the risk that bird flu could become more transmissible to humans.



Brazil, which exported more than 5 million metric tons of chicken products last year, first confirmed outbreaks of the highly pathogenic avian flu among wild birds in at least seven states in May 2023.

The Agriculture Ministry said in a statement that the disease does not transmit through the consumption of poultry meat or eggs.

“The Brazilian and world population can rest assured about the safety of inspected products, and there are no restrictions on their consumption,” the ministry said.

https://www.bolnews.com/business/2025/05/top-chicken-exporter-faces-trade-ban-after-bird-flu-found-in-poultry/