Chinese inspection mission boosts optimism among Brazilian chicken exporters

In the expectation of resuming exports of chicken and other poultry to China, Brazil is receiving a Chinese technical mission starting this Monday (Sept. 22), which will audit the country’s federal inspection system to verify that it is free of avian influenza. Brazilian sales of the product to China have been suspended since May, after confirmation of a case of the disease at a commercial farm in Montenegro (RS).

Seven Chinese inspectors will visit federal agricultural laboratories, poultry farms, and slaughterhouses. After the inspection, they will issue a report on the situation that could pave the way for trade normalization. The mission will also include visits to beef processing plants already authorized in Pará and São Paulo.

Within government and industry, expectations are that the mission will recognize Brazil’s status as free from avian influenza, which would lead to a swift reopening of the Chinese market. Even with just one case — already resolved — China imposed a ban on chicken imports from all Brazilian regions, following the terms of the bilateral sanitary agreement.

China is Brazil’s largest buyer of chicken meat, having imported 353,400 tonnes in 2024, generating revenue of US$786.9 million. From January to May this year, before the avian flu case in Montenegro, exports to China were on an accelerated pace: volumes had already surpassed 228,000 tonnes and revenues reached US$547 million.

See below a history of Brazilian chicken meat exports to China from January to July 2022 to 2025. The chart was prepared with DataLiner data and excludes cabotage, transshipment, and domestic movements.

Chicken Meat Exports to China | Jan 2022 to Jul 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (Click here to request a demo)

“The outlook is positive. The Chinese delegation will have the opportunity to see how well prepared Brazil’s agricultural defense system is, and the country proved this by handling the first case of avian influenza in commercial poultry quickly, effectively, and transparently,” said Ricardo Santin, president of the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA).

He stressed that the purpose of the visit is not to inspect individual plants but rather to review the entire defense and inspection system — farms, laboratories, slaughterhouses, and other parts of the chain — to confirm the country’s disease-free status.

José Eduardo dos Santos, president of the Poultry Association of Rio Grande do Sul (Asgav), noted that plants in the state have not sold to China since July 2024, when a case of Newcastle disease occurred in Anta Gorda (RS). “The sector is ready to receive the mission. Rio Grande do Sul is a potential supplier of poultry products to China,” he said.

Source: Globo Rural

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