Avian flu: Japan suspends poultry purchases from Brazil’s Espírito Santo

On Wednesday (28/6), the Japanese government announced the temporary suspension of poultry purchases from Espírito Santo, Brazil, due to an outbreak of avian flu in wild birds and a case found in a domesticated duck in the state.

The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture stated that the objective of the suspension is to prevent the virus from infecting domestically raised live poultry and to ensure food safety.

The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) expressed regret over Japan’s decision to halt poultry purchases and argued that it does not align with the guidelines of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), which recommends the suspension of trade only in cases of avian flu registered in commercial farms. The ABPA emphasized that there have been no reported cases of the disease in Brazil’s industrial poultry farming.

The decision to suspend trade by Japan occurred following an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a domesticated duck in the municipality of Serra, confirmed by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture the day before.

The Espírito Santo Agricultural and Forestry Defense Institute (Idaf/ES) is taking measures to control and eradicate the virus, as well as strengthening surveillance actions in areas within a radius of up to 10 km. Depending on the progress of investigations and the epidemiological situation, additional measures may be implemented, stated the State Secretary of Agriculture.

According to the ABPA, Japan does not currently import products from Espírito Santo, and the state represents only 0.19% of Brazil’s total chicken exports based on 2022 data.

The association emphasized that regardless of the recorded incident, there is no risk of disease transmission through the consumption of poultry products. They cited support from the World Health Organization (WHO), OIE, and all relevant international human and animal health organizations.

The chart below displays Brazil’s export volume of poultry meat to some of its main international buyers from Jan 2020 to Mar 2023. The data is from Datamar’s DataLiner service.

Poultry exports to top importers | Jan 2020 – Mar 2023 | WTMT

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Overall, Brazil has reported 53 avian flu episodes, with 52 occurring in wild birds and one in domestic breeding.

Source: Globo Rural

To read the original news report, visit: https://globorural.globo.com/pecuaria/aves/noticia/2023/06/gripe-aviaria-japao-suspende-compras-de-aves-do-es.ghtml

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