Health May 21, 2025 | 11:25 am

Dominican Republic suspends chicken imports from Brazil over bird flu outbreak

Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic and 20 other countries or economic blocs have suspended imports of chicken meat from all of Brazil following the detection of a highly pathogenic avian flu outbreak at a commercial farm in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul. In contrast, 11 other countries have limited their bans to the affected region. Brazil is the world’s top chicken exporter, with China—its largest buyer—having already imported over 562,000 tons of chicken in 2024.

Countries enforcing a nationwide ban include China, the European Union, Mexico, and South Korea, among others. Those applying regional restrictions include the UK, Ukraine, and Cuba, while Japan and Saudi Arabia limited bans to the specific municipality. These partial bans reflect adherence to the World Organization for Animal Health’s regionalization principle, which Brazil’s government is actively promoting to minimize broader economic impacts.

The outbreak comes at a challenging time for Brazil’s poultry sector, particularly in Rio Grande do Sul, which produces 15% of the country’s chicken and is still recovering from severe floods in 2023. The Ministry of Agriculture continues diplomatic efforts, especially with China, to lift full bans and restore exports from unaffected regions.