Brazil declares the end of a Newcastle disease outbreak
It has been reported by a Brazil local news outlet that the Newcastle disease outbreak in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul has ended.
“All technical information indicates the outbreak is over,” stated Secretary of Agricultural Defense Carlos Goulart as he told newspaper Estadao about the viral chicken disease.
According to the report, Goulart said in a statement to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the Brazilian government will formally declare the outbreak to be over. He went on to say that the international community will be given access to all pertinent information regarding the outbreak.
The Newcastle disease outbreak is a virus-related illness that can kill domestic and wild birds by producing respiratory issues among other symptoms. Following the discovery of the disease’s first case in poultry since 2006, the government imposed a voluntary export embargo on chicken to specific nations last week.
The temporary export limitations impacted Brazilian poultry exports with the possibility of reaching 50,000 to 60,000 metric tons. On average, Brazil produces 1.2 million tons of poultry products per month and exports 430,000 tons. The Brazil agriculture ministry stated that the limits vary based on the target country and range from products solely from Rio Grande do Sul to all Brazilian chicken exports.
According to Estadao, the Brazil Agriculture Ministry currently expects to return to regular chicken export operations, but the government will still require approval from hygienic authorities in the nations impacted by the embargo.
The last verified occurrences of the Newcastle disease outbreak in Brazil happened to subsistence birds in the states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Rio Grande do Sul in 2006. Subsistence birds are not raised for trade; instead, they provide sustenance for a family.