Story by Reuters

 • 4d • 

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FILE PHOTO: People in hazmat suits place packages with egg cartons and other things in a hole in the ground after Brazil confirmed its first outbreak of bird flu on Friday, triggering protocols for a country-wide trade ban from top buyer China and state-wide restrictions for other major consumers, in Montenegro, Brazil May 16, 2025. REUTERS/Diego Vara/File Photo© Thomson Reuters

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s government has asked China to restrict its embargo on chicken imports to products just from the city of Montenegro, where the South American country last week registered an outbreak of bird flu on a commercial farm, newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported on Tuesday.

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On Friday, Brazil reported its first ever outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, on a commercial breeding farm in Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, prompting a scramble to trace the virus in the country, as well as a slew of international trade bans.

China, a major consumer of Brazilian poultry, immediately suspended imports following the news. The Asian country bought more than 10% of Brazil’s 5.3 million metric tons of chicken exports in 2024, according to national pork and poultry group ABPA.

Other countries that banned imports of Brazilian chicken following the detection of bird flu include the European Union and South Korea.

Deals with other buyers like Japan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia provide for local trade restrictions.

Chinese customs authorities said imports of poultry products imported from Brazil, shipped on or after May 17, have been suspended.

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However, according to Folha, Brazil’s embassy in Beijing has approached Chinese authorities to see if the restricted exports could be limited to those products hailing solely from Montenegro, citing the country’s efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.

“Brazil would like to respectfully explore the possibility of a regionalized approach to this incident, in alignment with the principles of the WOAH (World Organization for Animal Health) and the procedures provided for in the bilateral protocol regarding chicken meat,” Folha quoted the embassy as saying.

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture did not have an immediate comment.

(Reporting by Isabel Teles, Ella Cao, Ana Mano and Oliver Griffin; Editing by Mark Porter and David Gregorio)

More than 2.2 million turkeys were lost to avian metapneumovirus last year, adding to bird flu fatalities.

https://www.startribune.com/ampv-minnesota-turkey-industry-loss-swollen-head-syndrome-bird-flu-indemnity-usda/601360196

By Brooks Johnson

The Minnesota Star Tribune

May 23, 2025 at 9:53AM

Three-week-old turkeys, known as poults, gather at the water bowls in a barn in Kensington, Minn., in 2023. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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There’s a new virus wiping out Minnesota turkey flocks, and unlike with bird flu the federal government doesn’t cover producers for losses.

Last year, Minnesota growers lost an estimated 2.2 million turkeys to avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), according to a study prepared for the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association.

That amounted to $112 million in lost sales for turkey farms.

“The emergence of aMPV in turkey flocks poses significant challenges to producers, exacerbating the existing pressures on the industry,” the study said.

Minnesota is the nation’s leading turkey producer with 33.5 million birds raised last year, a steep decline from previous years due to compounding virus fatalities and decreasing demand.

The highly pathogenic bird flu, or avian influenza, outbreak that began in 2022 has claimed 6.4 million turkeys in Minnesota.

For bird flu, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides indemnity payments that help cover the cost of repopulating poultry barns, since federal policy requires flocks be euthanized when bird flu is detected.

In Minnesota, more than $178 million in federal assistance has been paid to poultry producers to date, according to a spending database.

With aMPV, also called swollen head syndrome, growers have been “challenged by its non-reportable status with the USDA and lack of funding available for losses incurred,” the study said.

“This report re-emphasizes the urgent need for indemnity program support from federal partners,” said Minnesota Turkey Growers Association president Jake Vlaminck. “The emergence of aMPV has created a new layer of economic uncertainty for our growers.”

The highly contagious respiratory disease, first detected in Minnesota flocks in April 2024, leads to decreased egg production and high mortality rates.