China bans all poultry imports from Brazil on bird flu case

China has banned imports of all poultry products from Brazil after a bird flu outbreak was detected in the world’s top exporter, halting a trade worth more than US$1 billion (S$1.29 billion).

Direct and indirect imports of all poultry and related products from Brazil are banned in order to prevent the importation of bird flu, China’s customs agency said in a statement published on May 30.

The agency also said all plants and animal waste arriving from Brazil must undergo disinfestation.

The sweeping ban from China, the largest buyer of Brazilian chicken meat, clouds the outlook for exports from the South American country.

That comes even as the two nations work to bolster relations amid the ongoing global trade war launched by US President Donald Trump.

Earlier this month, Brazil halted chicken shipments to China and the European Union for 60 days after the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was reported on a commercial farm in the South American nation.

Brazil, responsible for about a third of the world’s chicken meat exports, shipped more than 10 per cent of its products to China in 2024, according to data from the Department of Agriculture.

The bilateral trade was worth about US$1.5 billion in 2024, according to China customs data. BLOOMBERG

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