A bird flu outbreak in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul has triggered major import bans from China and other countries, disrupting global poultry supply chains.
United States: Brazil declared its first case of bird flu on a poultry farm on Friday, leading China to place an immediate restriction on all Brazilian shipments and many other countries to impose partial bans on imports.
Statistics showed the affected farm, multiple sources confirmed to Reuters, was a poultry supplier for Vibra Foods, which is owned by Tyson Foods.
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Vibra operates 15 processing plants in Brazil and sells its products to more than 60 different countries.
The country exported USD 10 billion in chicken meat last year and dominated a third of the global market.
Most of Brazil’s poultry exports are handled by BRF and JBS before being sent to around 150 countries. Brazil exports chicken to more than a dozen nations.
Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro stated today that China imposed a 60-day ban on imports of Brazilian poultry.
4.2 million chickens will be slaughtered on an Iowa farm after an outbreak of the 'bird flu' pic.twitter.com/AG5sohctWN
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He noted that export bans agreed with those countries would impact only the state and eventually the municipality where the outbreak occurred.
The virus was detected in the city of Montenegro in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, according to Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry, Reuters reported.
The state produces and exports 15% of the country’s total poultry output and is also one of the main contributors to Brazil’s national pork and poultry production and exports, ABPA reported last July.
The company has five different factories located within the boundaries of the state. JBS has also set up chicken processing facilities in the state under its Seara brand.
The authorities in the state confirmed that at least 17,000 farm chickens have been lost to either the disease itself or preventive measures carried out to contain the outbreak.