Brazil Halts Poultry Exports Amid Newcastle Disease Outbreak

Brazil's agriculture ministry has voluntarily halted poultry exports following the detection of Newcastle disease in Rio Grande do Sul. Approximately 7,000 birds have perished, and authorities are working to contain the outbreak. The disease was last seen in Brazil in 2006, affecting subsistence birds in various states.

Brazil's agriculture ministry has voluntarily stopped poultry exports to several countries after a case of Newcastle disease was detected in Rio Grande do Sul, reported ABPA on Friday. A letter from the ministry's inspections department informed slaughterhouses of this development, as cited by the newspaper Estadao.

Earlier, the ministry declared an animal health emergency in the southernmost state following the detection of the disease. In an effort to contain the outbreak, authorities revealed that around 7,000 birds perished on the affected property, which constituted half of the total flock.

Investigations from a sample of 12 birds identified at least one positive case of Newcastle disease, a viral ailment affecting birds. The agriculture ministry has yet to comment on the situation. According to the ministry, the last recorded cases of Newcastle disease in Brazil were in 2006 among subsistence birds in Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Rio Grande do Sul. Minister Carlos Favaro has cautioned that such outbreaks could lead to trade bans.