São Paulo – Brazilian poultry exports proceed as usual, and there isn’t any risk of supply shortages, according to a statement released on Tuesday (30) by Brazil’s meat trade lobby ABPA and the Poultry Organization of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (OARS) with member entities.
The statement was released due to the detection of a new bird flu case in Brazil, now in the state of Rio Grande do Sul but again in a wild bird, and not inside any poultry production park.
Last Monday night, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock officially confirmed the case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza type A (HPAI A H5N1) in a wild bird near the Mangueira Lagoon in the municipality of Santa Vitória do Palmar in Rio Grande do Sul. The virus was detected in a seabird Cygnus melancoryphus, the black-necked swan.
Two other cases in wild birds were also confirmed by the Ministry of Agriculture: A Thalasseus acuflavidus (Cabot’s tern) in Ilha do Governador, in the capital of Rio de Janeiro, and a Sterna hirundo (Common tern), in the municipality of Piúma, in Espírito Santo.
With this Monday’s notification, the number of confirmed cases in wild birds in Brazil rose to 13, nine in the state of Espírito Santo, three in Rio de Janeiro, and one in Rio Grande do Sul.
The note from ABPA and OARS informed biosecurity measures in the production chain have been reinforced through stimuli, guidance, training, and education since March 2022. It also highlighted a broad national strategy had preserved Brazil’s health status as free of HPAI, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
“In this sense, ABPA and OARS recall exports proceed as usual, and there is no risk to the supply of products; at the same time, according to international health authorities, there is no risk in the consumption of poultry,” said the statement.
The Ministry of Agriculture also reinforced information in this regard: “Brazil remains free of avian influenza in production poultry and maintains its status as free of avian influenza, with its exports safe for consumption. Consumption of poultry protein and eggs remains safe in the country,” said the ministry.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda & Elúsio Brasileiro
