©Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A test tube labeled “bird flu”, eggs and a piece of paper with the colors of the Brazilian flag are seen in this Jan. 14, 2023 photo illustration. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Archive
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MEXICO CITY/SAO PAULO, Jan 2 (Reuters) – Brazil and Mexico are working together on a regional plan that would allow poultry and egg trade between the two countries to maintain despite potential outbreaks of bird flu, Mexico’s agriculture ministry said. .
The plan includes mapping areas in both countries that would not be affected by possible outbreaks to keep trade flowing in those areas, the ministry said in a statement, citing the agency’s health security chief Javier Calderón. .
Brazil, the world’s leading poultry exporter, recently reported cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild and backyard birds. Mexico, which exports only a small portion of its poultry production, reported its first case of the season in November.
Establishing “containment zones” in line with World Organization for Animal Health (WHOA) guidelines could prevent a nationwide export ban if bird flu hits commercial chicken flocks.
Brazil also plans to start importing Mexican avocados “soon,” Brazilian agriculture official Roberto Perosa said. Although Mexico is the world’s leading supplier of avocados, almost all of it is sold to the United States.
(Reporting by Kelly Madrid in Mexico City and Peter Frontini in Sao Paulo; Editing by Sofia Díaz Pineda in Spanish)