Hit by bird flu, Brazil's farmers hope to lift total export ban

Bangkok Post Group

Brazil's poultry industry is reeling from the country's first bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm, but officials hope China and other major consumers will soon loosen countrywide bans on importing Brazil's chicken. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:01Farms in Brazil are reeling from an outbreak of bird flu and waiting to hear just how bad it will be for business.

00:08But if the world's largest poultry producer can contain the outbreak in its southernmost state,

00:14then officials say any nationwide bans on exports could be quickly lifted.

00:19Authorities have declared an animal health emergency and are racing to stop contagion from this farm in Rio Grande do Sul state.

00:27This official from the state's agriculture secretariat says all chickens have been eliminated from the farm and disinfection is underway.

00:40Major buyers like China have triggered 60-day pauses on shipments,

00:45but Brazil hopes they can be persuaded to limit restrictions to affected states.

00:50The outcome is crucial for the global market, with the country accounting for more than a third of the chicken trade.

00:56That means a prolonged ban would be bad news for consumers around the world, not just Brazilian farmers.

01:03The US already faces its own devastating outbreak of bird flu, which has limited demand for its exports.

01:10China now blocks poultry from more than 40 US states.

01:14But if the Brazilian outbreak worsens, American producers may hope that Beijing will be pushed to relax some restrictions.

01:21Under an agreement brokered during Donald Trump's first term as president,

01:26China is supposed to lift bans on individual states 90 days after they eliminate bird flu.

01:33However, US industry bodies say Beijing has been keeping bans in place for longer than that.

01:39Brazilian farmers hope that the warm relations between country president Lula da Silva

01:44and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will help avert the worst outcome.

01:49An agriculture ministry official said strong global demand for chicken meant other countries would have to show flexibility.

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