Brazil informs WHO of the end of the sanitary gap and declares itself free of bird flu
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) officially informed the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) this Wednesday (18) of the end of the sanitary gap, as provided for in international protocols. With the notification, the country declares itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The sanitary vacuum period began on May 22, shortly after the disinfection of the farm located in Montenegro (RS) was completed, where, on May 16, the first and only outbreak of the disease on a commercial farm in the country was recorded.
With the end of this period and no new occurrences, Brazil completed all required health actions, once again regaining its disease-free status.
“A crisis is not something to celebrate, but we must recognize the robustness of our health system, which responded with total transparency and efficiency. We followed all protocols, contained the outbreak and are now moving forward responsibly towards a gradual resumption of foreign trade, demonstrating the strength of the Brazilian health service,” stated the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro.
The WHO notification process is conducted in a technical and transparent manner by the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA). All stages, from the notification of the outbreak, the beginning of the sanitary vacuum until the self-declaration of the end of the occurrence, were recorded, composing a robust technical basis that will support the decisions of health authorities in other countries.
In addition, MAPA is also directly notifying countries that have imposed temporary restrictions on Brazilian exports of poultry products, with the aim of reestablishing international trade as quickly as possible.
“Today we reached the end of the sanitary vacuum with the conclusion of the outbreak and the issuance of the country's self-declaration that it is free of avian flu on commercial farms. This not only strengthens the credibility of our sanitary system, but also represents a fundamental step towards the reopening of markets and the normalization of exports”, highlighted the Secretary of Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, Carlos Goulart.
The New Zealand meat industry hopes not to be affected by the Chinese investigation into beef exports
Following China's investigation into beef exports to its market by the world's leading beef exporters, a group of Chinese officials has visited New Zealand to meet with beef producers and processors before making a decision on whether there will be any changes to exporters' market access.
A change in market access for New Zealand beef exporters would have a significant impact on an industry that sells nearly $1 billion worth of products to China annually, according to March figures.
However, Meat Industry Association president Nathan Guy stated that he is confident that New Zealand beef exports "do not pose a risk to China's domestic beef sector." He hopes New Zealand's market access will remain as it was. The
industry association and the government state that the investigation will conclude in the coming months. However, it is unclear how long it will last.
Meanwhile, Guy says the association has been working closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the government to address China's concerns. It is also registered as an interested party in the investigation and has filed a complaint.
China and the US are making progress in pork and chicken, but beef remains frozen.
Approvals for 106 US pork and chicken plants to export to China this week are seen as a sign of some easing of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing , but the situation for the US meat industry remains complex and faces losses of more than US$4 billion annually.
On Monday, the General Administration of Customs of China ( GACC ) reported that 18 U.S. pork plants, 78 poultry plants, and five pork and poultry plants were approved for its CIFER registration list. The added facilities were scheduled to be eligible to ship to China on June 12.
The US Meat Export Federation ( USMEF ) confirmed the approvals and said they were good news. However, the group noted that other important issues remain to be resolved before the 90-day cooling-off period between the US and China expires in mid-August.
“US pork and most varieties still face a 57% tariff in China, while beef faces a 32% tariff,” a USMEF spokesperson explained.
“The GACC has not renewed expired U.S. beef plants in its CIFER system, so most U.S. beef cannot be shipped to China, as has been the case since mid-March ,” the exporters said.
In March, more than 300 pork production and storage facilities received GACC registration renewals.
Even so, U.S. beef plants ' access to China for export has expired, with no signs of renewal in the near future.
At least 390 of them are currently listed as "expired" by Chinese authorities. These represent 60% of the 654 US beef processing plants previously authorized to export to China. Currently, only 249 remain eligible , of which 137 are certified until 2029.
For another 20, the permit will expire in 2025. Renewals are typically valid for five to ten years. Another 15 plants are temporarily suspended.
USMEF estimated that the beef industry could suffer an annual impact of $4.13 billion if access to China were lost.
“While these new plant registrations are welcome news, there are more significant issues affecting trade with China that must be addressed before the 90-day negotiation deadline expires in mid-August,” the USMEF spokesperson stated. “Exporters are concerned about the risk of tariffs rising again if this deadline is missed. This uncertainty will further impact exports in the coming weeks.”