Brazil’s biggest meat export association says the farm in Rio Grande do Sol province hit by avian flu is dealing with the crisis and will comply with sanitary protocols before resuming full exports.
South Africa has suspended imports from Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter, but there are growing calls for the ban to be eased.
The president of the Brazilian Animal Protein Association, Ricardo Santin, said the affected farm had completed the disinfection process.
A 28-day quarantine period had begun at the farm on May 22.
If no cases were reported during this period, the farm “can once again declare itself free of avian flu in its commercial poultry production”.
“This was the first and only case in the history of Brazilian poultry farming, which continues to be recognised as one of the most efficient biosecurity systems in the global poultry industry,” Santin said.
This was the first and only case in the history of Brazilian poultry farming, which continues to be recognised as one of the most efficient biosecurity systems in the global poultry industry.
Calls are growing among South African meat processors for the government to allow imports of mechanically deboned meat (MDM), used in sausage, polony and pet food, from parts of Brazil that are free of bird flu.
Local food processing companies say buying MDM imports from elsewhere could lead to price hikes for consumers.
Santin said Brazil was still exporting to more than 120 markets, whose only condition is that no poultry is shipped from within a 10km radius of the municipality where the outbreak occurred.
“Shipments originally intended for markets that imposed partial suspensions on Brazil are being redirected to other destinations with active demand for the product. As a result, the impact on monthly trade flows has remained below 2% so far, although this figure may rise in the coming month.”
Speaking at the AVI Africa conference this week, organised by the South African Poultry Association, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen said South Africa had “lost too much ground because of preventable outbreaks” such as foot-and-mouth disease, citrus black spot and bird flu.
“They are economic shocks. They threaten jobs, exports, food security, and national confidence. That is why we are acting. In response to [bird flu], the department has launched an urgent, co-ordinated vaccination rollout plan. This is the first time South Africa is deploying vaccines at this scale to combat avian influenza.”
He said the government would protect the poultry industry, which had annual gross income of nearly R80bn, supported 134,000 jobs and contributed a large slice of GDP.
The South African Meat Processors Association said in a statement that one of its members, Sky Country Meats, had laid off nearly 100 employees and more retrenchments could follow if MDM imports were not restored urgently.
“South Africa does not produce MDM in any significant quantity and so is forced to import the commodity. Brazil is the largest producer of MDM in the world, with 95% of MDM imported in the last 12 years coming from the South American powerhouse.”
The association said it had been engaging with the department of agriculture for more than two years about the threat posed by bird flu, “and we call on the government to have a more proactive policy framework in place to better deal with future outbreaks”.
Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters, said new sources of poultry imports should be found to “reduce the economic and food security risks created by the current overall suspension of imports from Brazil”.
“Even with a partial lifting of the suspension of imports from Brazil, there will still be a shortfall that will need to be filled... to maintain consumption demand in our country,” she said.
“Opening additional markets not only fills this gap, but also future-proofs South Africa against [disease-related] supply shortages.”
She said allowing trade to continue from unaffected areas within a country experiencing an outbreak under the appropriate safety protocols would protect animal and public health while minimising unnecessary trade disruptions.
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