São Paulo – Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock officially declared on Wednesday (18), in a notification sent to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), that Brazil is free of avian influenza. The declaration officially marks the end of the sanitary void that began on May 22, respecting two life cycles of the virus totaling 28 days. The country recorded its first and only commercial case of avian influenza at a farm in the city of Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul.
After Brazil confirmed the case in the city of Montenegro, several countries, following protocol, suspended purchases of chicken meat from Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul, or even from Brazil as a whole. Among these countries are Arab nations.
In a statement, Ricardo Santin, president of meat lobby ABPA, said that with the self-declaration Brazil takes a ‘definitive step” to speed up negotiations so that markets that still apply restrictions on Brazilian products resume purchases. “We are confident in the rapid restoration of normal shipment flows and in strengthening our role in global food security,” Santin said in the statement.
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Avian flu outbreak contained, says Brazil minister
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
