China has agreed to limit its ban on Brazilian poultry imports to the southern state of Santa Catarina following the detection of Newcastle virus at a commercial turkey farm, averting a broader disruption to shipments to one of Brazil’s biggest poultry buyers.
The decision, announced by Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday after negotiations with Chinese authorities, allows poultry exports from other Brazilian states to continue. China accounted for about 10% of Brazil’s chicken exports in the first nine months of 2026, according to official data.
The move came as a positive surprise to the industry. A bilateral sanitary agreement requires Brazil to suspend all poultry shipments to China whenever the Newcastle disease virus is detected, regardless of where the outbreak occurs.
Restrictions elsewhere in Latin America are more mixed.
Chile will suspend imports of fresh poultry meat from Santa Catarina, along with other poultry-related products, including fertile eggs, specific-pathogen-free (SPF) eggs, day-old chicks, ornamental birds, eggs for human consumption and processed products containing fresh poultry meat.
Mexico, meanwhile, is the only country so far to impose nationwide restrictions on Brazilian poultry shipments.
Its ban covers poultry meat, live birds, offal, fertile eggs, chicks up to three days old, and songbirds, ornamental birds, birds of prey intended for commercial trade and pet birds.
Mexico was Brazil’s seventh-largest chicken export destination between January and September, importing 182,000 metric tons, or about 4.5% of the country’s total shipments.
This story was translated from the original Portuguese with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by The AgriBiz editorial staff.
