Chicken exporters in Brazil are bracing for the cargo rejections as the bird flu spreads in poultry in the country. Several countries, including China, will not accept chicken consignments in transit from Brazil.

This news comes on the heels of the confirmation of the country’s first bird flu outbreak. The Brazilian meat lobby ABPA, which represents large food processors, said on Tuesday that some chicken cargos will be redirected.

ABPA president Ricardo Santin told Reuters in an interview that rejection of cargoes may vary according to the date of shipment before outbreak’s confirmation, ranging from 14 to 28 days at the discretion of the destination countries’ official veterinary services.

Brazil accounts for 39% of the global chicken trade, Santin said, citing fresh trade data. Easing restrictions for cargos in transit is a possibility, Santin said, particularly if the cargo comes from a region far from the outbreak in the town of Montenegro, in Rio Grande do Sul state. “But that will require negotiations,” Santin added. Mexico and Chile are among countries that would also reject cargoes under existing health protocols related to bird flu outbreaks, he added.

It is not possible to calculate losses stemming from export restrictions in force after confirmation of the first bird flu outbreak on a Brazilian commercial chicken farm, Santin said.

That is because the scope and duration of trade bans may vary according to health protocols and negotiations with importing nations, Santin said.

China, for example, enforced a nationwide ban on Brazil’s chicken imports for about three weeks after a case of Newcastle disease – also found in Rio Grande do Sul – last year, Santin said. –Reuters

Meanwhile, the United States is concerned that no human cases of bird flu have been reported in three months. Does that mean the fear-mongering over a pandemic is slowing?

No Human Bird Flu Cases In 3 Months; Scientists Ask Why