China lifts ban on chicken imports from Brazil
China has lifted the ban on imports of Brazilian chicken meat, a measure adopted in May after the first recorded case of avian influenza on a commercial farm in the municipality of Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil.
The announcement lifting the suspension, made by the Chinese customs administration this Friday (Nov. 7), was confirmed and celebrated by the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA), which credited the result to Brazil’s technical and diplomatic competence.
“The suspension occurred in the context of the only recorded outbreak - now completely overcome - of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in commercial chicken production in Brazil,” the association’s statement reads.
The suspension took place in May, when China was, according to the association, the largest buyer of Brazilian chicken meat, with imports totaling 562,200 tons in 2024, or about 10.8 percent of the total.
“From January to May alone, China imported 228,200 tons of chicken meat (10.4 percent of Brazil’s total exports during that period), generating revenue of USD 545.8 million,” ABPA said following the announcement of the Chinese suspension.
On June 18, Brazil declared itself free of the disease after disinfecting the affected farm and recording no other cases for a period of 28 days.
Reopening of market
In September, the European Union recognized Brazil as free of the disease, allowing the resumption of exports to the bloc.
“Gradually, all major importers of chicken meat resumed their purchases. Today, China, the last major importer to remain closed, has reopened its ports to Brazilian products,” celebrated ABPA.
According to the association, “Brazilian authorities undertook extensive diplomatic efforts to reestablish the flow of trade in the suspended markets.”
Among praises for the federal government’s efforts, the association added that the reopening was the result of “extensive and highly professional negotiation work, which included the renegotiation of sanitary certificates to prevent total suspensions of countries in the event of new occurrences.”
