Brazil has halted all poultry exports to the EU, the European Commission confirmed on Monday, after the country notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) of a bird flu outbreak.
Brazil notified WOAH that it suspended its status ‘free of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)’ after bird flu was detected on a commercial farm in Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
The notification rendered imports from any region of Brazil of poultry and poultry products ineligible under EU rules that stipulate countries must maintain an HPAI-free status to export poultry products, meaning the EU need not impose a ban on Brazilian poultry.
Without this status, Brazilian authorities are unable to sign the animal health certificates required for exports to the EU.
Although the EU is not Brazil’s largest poultry market (only about 4.4% of Brazilian poultry exports were sent to the EU last year) the Latin American country remains a key poultry supplier to the bloc, accounting for 32% of the EU’s poultry imports in 2024, according to official EU data.
“The European Commission remains in contact with the Brazilian authorities and relies on them to ensure no EU export certificates are being signed,” a Commission spokesperson told Euronews.
As part of containment measures, approximately 1.7 million eggs – equivalent to 450 metric tons – have been destroyed in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the state’s department of agriculture.
Brazil is the world’s largest poultry exporter, supplying to major international markets. China remains its top customer, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa.
Health experts are increasingly concerned as bird flu cases continue to rise among wild birds worldwide, particularly in the US, where an outbreak among poultry and dairy cows has resulted in 67 confirmed human cases and one death.
