Brazil agriculture minister calls for bird flu vaccination debate
SAO PAULO, June 6 (Reuters) - Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro on Friday welcomed the opportunity to debate vaccination of poultry against bird flu following the country's first confirmed outbreak on a commercial chicken breeding farm last month.
Speaking in Paris at the World Organization for Animal Health, Favaro said Brazil would be prepared to host a global conference on animal health in 2026, saying it would be the ideal venue for such a discussion to take place.
The potential use of vaccines against highly pathogenic avian influenza could restrict access to markets for Brazil, the world's largest chicken exporter.
But Favaro called for a discussion involving sellers and buyers to waive any restrictions in case vaccination is adopted, as Brazil is already facing bird flu-related trade bans.
Favaro also defended a regionalization model under which trade bans would only apply to specific locations affected by outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as bird flu or Newcastle disease.
Brazil received on Friday a formal certification as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, which in theory could give Brazilian beef access to stricter markets, like Japan.
The industry and minister called this certification "historic."
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Reuters
2 days ago
- Reuters
Brazil agriculture minister calls for bird flu vaccination debate
SAO PAULO, June 6 (Reuters) - Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro on Friday welcomed the opportunity to debate vaccination of poultry against bird flu following the country's first confirmed outbreak on a commercial chicken breeding farm last month. Speaking in Paris at the World Organization for Animal Health, Favaro said Brazil would be prepared to host a global conference on animal health in 2026, saying it would be the ideal venue for such a discussion to take place. The potential use of vaccines against highly pathogenic avian influenza could restrict access to markets for Brazil, the world's largest chicken exporter. But Favaro called for a discussion involving sellers and buyers to waive any restrictions in case vaccination is adopted, as Brazil is already facing bird flu-related trade bans. Favaro also defended a regionalization model under which trade bans would only apply to specific locations affected by outbreaks of highly contagious diseases such as bird flu or Newcastle disease. Brazil received on Friday a formal certification as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, which in theory could give Brazilian beef access to stricter markets, like Japan. The industry and minister called this certification "historic."
Reuters
3 days ago
- Reuters
Brazil's BRF confident bird flu crisis will be over soon
SAO PAULO, June 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian food processor BRF ( opens new tab is confident local companies will be able to circumvent chicken trade bans in a matter of days as local authorities have so far been able to control a bird flu outbreak in the world's largest chicken-exporting nation. Speaking at an industry event in Sao Paulo on Thursday, BRF's vice president for quality, Fabio Stumpf, said a combination of well-trained farm workers, strict biosecurity protocols and efficient state and federal farm agencies contributed to delaying the arrival of bird flu on Brazilian poultry farms. Brazil's first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu on a commercial chicken farm was confirmed on May 16, triggering regional and country trade embargoes, which hurt exporters and increased chicken supplies domestically in the short-term, reducing local prices. The disease was first detected in the country on wild birds in 2023. Since then, the Brazilian government has processed over 4,000 samples and confirmed some 171 bird flu outbreaks, mainly among wild animals. Addressing a panel, Stumpf said he had "no doubt" countries would open up to trade over the coming few days, as almost three weeks have passed after the only bird flu case was confirmed on a commercial farm in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul state. Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro also said this week there were signs the outbreak had been controlled efficiently. Still, there are 12 active investigations into potential new outbreaks, most of which are on backyard flocks or wild birds, which do not trigger trade restrictions, according to the ministry's website.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
Plant of Coca-Cola maker suspended for potential contamination in Brazil
BRASILIA, June 4 (Reuters) - A plant owned by Brazilian soft drink firm Solar, which produces for Coca-Cola (KO.N), opens new tab, had a fault in its cooling system detected, leading production and bottling to be suspended as a precautionary measure, Brazil's government said on Wednesday. Production was halted after authorities established a liquid used in the cooling process had come in contact with products being manufactured, Brazil's agriculture ministry said, in reference to an on-site inspection of the plant in Ceara state. The liquid in question contains food-grade alcohol that does not pose a high health risk and does not contain toxic substances, the ministry added in a statement. All of the products that may have been compromised remain in the company's inventory, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro told a press conference in Brasilia, adding that there was no risk that the affected products could have reached supermarkets. According to the ministry, the production suspension will be maintained until Solar enforces the necessary corrections and proves the elimination of all risks in the production process, which may occur as early as today. Samples from about 9 million liters of soft drinks await laboratory analysis, which should be concluded in five days, the ministry said. Solar and Coca-Cola did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
