Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of chicken meat, remains free of bird flu even as the virus devastates bird populations in South America.
Active surveillance of birds along migratory routes, in addition to stricter controls among commercial flocks, has been crucial to keeping the agricultural powerhouse free of the virus, Ricardo Santin, head of export group ABPA, said in an interview. .
Brazil has more than 1.5 billion birds raised for slaughter and represents 33% of the world’s poultry exports. The global outbreak of bird flu, which has killed more than 100 million birds worldwide, has infiltrated neighboring countries of Brazil, including Bolivia and Argentina, so vigilance has increased. Due to the devastation of large numbers of chicken flocks in South America, the Egg prices have increased by more than 70% in a year in the United States.
Avian flu cases grow and the outbreak is attributed to “migratory birds” from the northern hemisphere
Los Brazilian inspectors have tested some 34,900 birds for the flu since 2022, most of which were migratory or wild birds. In the US, for comparison, of the 2 million total tests performed by inspectors, just under 2% were on wild birds, according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). English) from the US Department of Agriculture.
Until now, Brazil has not tested animals on commercial farms since there have not yet been any suspected cases. Companies including JBS SA and BRF SA have provided financial support to make tests available throughout the country, the fifth largest in the world in terms of land area.
The nation remains vigilant about the threat and will continue to monitor wild birds even as the risk of transmission decreases due to seasonal migration patterns, Santin said.
MRI / ED
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