Brazil Confirms First-Ever Avian Flu Case in Wild Birds

• Brazil, the world's top chicken exporter, has for the first time confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) cases but only in wild birds, the Agriculture Ministry said on Monday, May 15.
• Two cases were detected in wild birds and should not trigger a ban on imports of Brazilian poultry products as per guidelines from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), according to the Brazilian government.
• The avian influenza virus can kill entire flocks of birds and cause losses for the farming sector. Brazil's chicken exports rose by 27% last year to $9.76 billion as other countries reeled from a global outbreak of the virus, yet the South American country had never registered a case until now.
• Epidemiological surveillance services will be intensified to detect potential cases in wild and commercial animals in the area close to where the cases were confirmed, a government source said.
• The agriculture ministry said that because the cases were detected in wild animals, Brazil's status "as a country free of HPAI" was not affected.
• Notably, Brazil's neighbour Argentina suspended its poultry exports in late February after recording the first case of bird flu in its poultry industry in the southern Rio Negro province but resumed exports from bird flu-free areas in late March.
• As these developments continue to unravel, the possibility exists that other forms of protein such as Mutton or Beef, will experience increased demand as consumers shift from poultry and seek other alternatives. This bodes well for producers of alternative forms of protein such as Marfrig.

(Source: Reuters)