Brazil steps up bird flu alert after cases in neighbors

New outbreaks of avian influenza confirmed in neighboring Argentina and Uruguay have heightened concern in Brazil, which only a little over three months ago saw one of its largest chicken importers, China, resume purchases. The Asian country suspended imports for six months after Brazil confirmed its first outbreak at a commercial poultry farm in May last year.

In Argentina, the National Service for Agri-Food Health and Quality (Senasa) confirmed on Tuesday a new case of bird flu in a commercial flock in Ranchos, Buenos Aires province. In line with its contingency plan, the agency ordered the immediate closure of the facility.

In August, Argentina had already reported an outbreak in a commercial flock, prompting the country to suspend poultry exports.

In Uruguay, the situation differs slightly. The government has reported cases in the regions of Maldonado, Rocha, and Canelones, but because the infected birds were wild, there are no restrictions on commercial activities in the country. Even so, the Uruguayan government declared a sanitary emergency to enable swift preventive and control measures, according to an official statement.

In Brazil, Carlos Goulart, secretary of agricultural defense at the Ministry of Agriculture, said on Monday that combating avian influenza remains the ministry’s top priority. He noted that at this time of year the risk of new cases increases due to migratory flows of wild birds leaving colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where it is winter, and heading to the Southern Hemisphere, currently in summer.

“Avian influenza continues to be the main challenge to be mitigated by the secretariat. We have made significant progress, but it remains a very serious problem, although it has improved,” he said.

In February, Brazil’s Congress approved provisional presidential decree 1312/2025, which allocates an additional R$83.5 million to address four ongoing sanitary emergencies in the country—avian influenza, cassava witches’ broom disease, cocoa moniliasis and the carambola fly.

In the text of the decree, the government said there had been an “unexpected change in the epidemiological scenario, with the detection of two distinct viruses and outbreaks in inland areas, where the country’s poultry production is concentrated.”

Asked about the outbreaks in neighboring countries, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA)stated that, “in line with the Ministry of Agriculture, it is monitoring developments related to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Argentina and Uruguay.”

“Regardless of the situation in neighboring countries, Brazil’s production sector maintains high biosecurity protocols within the production system, including restrictions on visits to production units, reviews of control and health structures, and ongoing internal awareness campaigns,” the association said in a statement.

Source: Valor International

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