Brazil says Japan will lift bird flu trade restrictions within 15 days

This content was published on August 7, 2023 – 17:44

August 7, 2023 – 17:44

São Paulo, 7 August (EFE) – Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said Monday he is confident that the Japanese government will lift import restrictions on Brazilian chicken “up to 15 days” before the poultry hits the market in case of influenza.

Favaro told a news conference that Japan was already working on a new agreement that would see restrictions imposed by municipal governments rather than state governments as they are now, which would mean removing restrictions on imports from Brazil, the world’s largest chicken exporter. .

“If so, the state of Santa Catarina will not restrict any exports because the municipality that registered the case has no commercial farms,” ​​he said.

Favaro said the change appeared to be more “fair and efficient”, affirming that it would bring “more flexibility” to commercial relationships.

Japan has suspended imports of Brazilian chicken since mid-July after a case of bird flu was detected on a domestic farm in the southern city of Santa Catarina.

Favaro traveled to Japan last week to meet Japanese authorities and show them the “quality and assurance” of the South American poultry flu control system.

Six of Brazil’s 27 states have declared a state of health emergency since the first case of migratory birds was detected in May.

Even so, Favaro said Brazil is one of four countries in the world that have not reported a case of bird flu on commercial farms.

The country has seen 75 outbreaks of bird flu in wild birds and two in poultry, but none in commercial farms, according to the agriculture ministry.

Brazil is the world’s largest chicken exporter, with a 35 percent market share so far this year, with shipments of 2.6 million tonnes, about 8 percent of which went to Japan.Effie

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