12,000 chickens sent by mail: Thousands of chicks die
In the USA, around 12,000 chickens were shipped by mail - and then forgotten in the delivery van. Thousands of chicks died without water.
In Brazil, the first outbreak of Avian Influenza has occurred. Currently, no shipments of poultry and poultry products to the EU are allowed, as confirmed by a spokesperson for the EU Commission.
Reportedly, Brazil has experienced an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Previously, the country, known for having the world's largest poultry meat production, was considered free of HPAI.
Following China's lead, the EU has decided to temporarily prohibit all imports of live poultry and poultry products from Brazil into the community. Due to the absence of a regionalization agreement, Brazilian authorities are currently not allowed to issue the necessary health certificates.
This information has also been confirmed by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture. According to the Ministry, Brazil has only established regionalization agreements with Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines.
China had recently signed agreements as well.
There is currently no such agreement in place with China. Consequently, all imports from Brazil to China are likely to be halted temporarily. This news comes shortly after both sides signed a cooperation agreement, aiming to further open the Chinese market to key agricultural products from Brazil, including duck, turkey meat, and chicken offal.
As of now, no additional officially confirmed cases have been reported. However, Brazilian authorities mention another suspected case in the vicinity of the initial outbreak. The results of the analyses are still pending, according to the Ministry of Agriculture in Brasília.