Poultry industry pushes to reopen export markets

Two weeks after fully containing an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul, and with more than half of the 28-day period elapsed for Brazil to declare itself free of the disease, Brazilian poultry processors are ramping up talks with importers to ease trade restrictions imposed under international health protocols.

On Thursday (June 5), Ricardo Santin, president of the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA), will meet in Brussels with importers and representatives of European poultry processing companies. It will be the first in-person meeting focused primarily on reopening export markets.

“Now that we are again free of bird flu in commercial flocks, our job is to win back the market as quickly as possible,” Mr. Santin told Valor. “Brazil is asking that restrictions be reduced to a 10-kilometer radius, in line with recommendations from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), especially now that more than 10 days have passed since the outbreak was contained. Brazil has every reason to go there and make the case that even Rio Grande do Sul should not be closed off,” he added.

The European Union was Brazil’s seventh-largest export destination for chicken in 2024, having imported 231,800 tonnes of the protein.

Check below the main destinations for Brazilian chicken exports in the first four months of 2025. The chart was prepared using DataLiner data:

Main Destinations for Brazilian Chicken | Jan to Apr 2025 | TEU

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

The outbreak was confirmed on May 15. Brazil officially notified the WOAH of the outbreak’s containment on May 21, triggering the 28-day countdown required for a country to self-declare itself free of avian influenza, provided no new cases emerge.

The Brussels meeting will include Brazil’s chief envoy to the EU, Ambassador Pedro Miguel, and importing companies. This week, Jordan and Kuwait announced they were easing their bans, limiting restrictions to processing plants located in Rio Grande do Sul. According to Santin, Bolivia, Libya, Namibia, and Peru have also signaled they may soon take similar steps.

“We’re showing that biosecurity measures worked. The trend is now reversing, which is very positive. No new countries are closing their markets—and some are reopening,” Santin said. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining open trade with over 120 countries that continue to import Brazilian poultry without restrictions.

Mr. Santin noted that key markets including Japan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Egypt applied regionalization measures rather than blanket bans.

These moves, he said, reflect a broader review of trade protocols to confine restrictions to affected regions—a shift bolstered by the swift response from Brazil’s government and private sector to the country’s only confirmed bird flu case in a commercial flock to date. This week, suspected cases in poultry farms in Anta Gorda (Rio Grande do Sul) and Bom Despacho (Minas Gerais) were ruled out, although a new investigation was launched in Teutônia (Rio Grande do Sul).

A major argument for Brazilian authorities and meatpackers in negotiations is the price impact of export bans on consumers in importing countries. In South Africa, for example, prices for some poultry products have tripled since the embargo was imposed, Mr. Santin said.

“We hope that, once this storm passes, we can go back to these countries and use that as leverage to review protocols. We need to acknowledge that this kind of event may happen again, but without triggering trade disruptions,” he said.

The ABPA already had meetings scheduled in the Philippines and Japan for August, and may consider moving some of them forward. In the meantime, daily conversations with key buyers continue by phone. There has been no movement from China so far, Mr. Santin said. “The dialogue remains open between the authorities. Both of our agricultural attachés are there, and all the necessary documentation has been submitted. Now we must wait and respect China’s autonomy,” he stated.

Mr. Santin also praised the efforts of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production, and Irrigation of Rio Grande do Sul (Seapi), calling their outbreak containment work “flawless.” He said the WOAH commended Brazil’s communication for its “clarity, accuracy, speed, and transparency.”

The ABPA has not yet finalized May export figures, but preliminary data suggest that trade flows held steady compared to April, despite the bans imposed after the outbreak was confirmed on May 15. Comparing the first two weeks of the month with the period following the Montenegro case, the average daily export volume fell by just 1.74%, Mr. Santin said.

Source: Valor International

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