Hong Kong suspends chicken imports from Brazilian slaughterhouse after China´s reports of Covid-19 traces

The government of Hong Kong, China’s autonomous province, decided to suspend chicken imports from the Brazilian slaughterhouse responsible for shipping a cargo of chicken wings that tested positive for Covid-19 in China. The slaughterhouse in question belongs to Aurora and is located in Xaxim (SC).

According to a statement issued by the Food Security Center (CFS) in Hong Kong, the agency intensified Covid-19 testing in chicken meat imported from Brazil. In addition, Hong Kong also carried out a preliminary investigation and reported that no trace of Covid-19 was found in Brazilian chicken sold in the province.

Also as a result of China’s accusations of finding traces of coronavirus in Brazilian chicken, on August 14, the Philippines announced the suspension of chicken imports from Brazil. In a note released on the 17th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) requested clarification from the Philippine authorities.

According to the note, “Brazil understands that the decision taken by the Philippine government was disproportionate in interrupting trade in an entire sector based on news published by the Chinese press of a suspicion, still under investigation by the GACC (China’s health agency), detection of coronavirus nucleic acid in the packaging of a product related to a commercial establishment.  In addition, the Philippine authorities have not officially notified Brazil of the decision or made any prior contact requesting information about the episode in China, in breach of articles provided for in an agreement with the World Trade Organization (WTO), to which the two countries are signatories.

According to the ministry, there was no official communication from the Chinese authorities. “The Brazilian government informs that if the issue with the Philippines continues, it may raise a Specific Trade Concern (Specific Trade Concern) at the next meeting of the WTO Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS).”

The following chart shows the main destinations for Brazilian chicken exports:

Brazilian Poultry Exports (HS 0207) to top 15 destinations | Jan to Jun 2019-2020 | TEU

Slaughterhouses in three countries voluntarily suspend sales to China

According to the General Customs Administration of China (GACC), three slaughterhouses in three different countries voluntarily suspended meat exports to China on Monday, August 17: a storage unit in New Zealand, and two pork factories in the UK and Canada.

The voluntary suspension of exports is seen by experts in the sector as a way for slaughterhouses to ensure greater control over whether or not to resume exports to China. In cases where the veto comes from the Chinese authorities, reinstatement is subject to approval by the Asian country. In Brazil, the slaughterhouse Agra, which voluntarily suspended its exports, was the only one of seven that had its license suspended,  only for it to be reinstated for shipments to China.

In addition to suspending exports from the three slaughterhouses, the GACC also announced the reinstatement of three pork companies in Germany, whose exports were voluntarily suspended on June 18. So far, China has suspended imports from 32 slaughterhouses in 14 countries, according to GACC data.

Sources: Globo Rural and MAPA

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