Brazil has declared itself free of bird flu, saying that its first – and so far only – outbreak in commercial poultry is over.
The declaration came in a notification by Brazil to the World Organisation of Animal Health (WOAH), WattPoultry reported.
This clears the way for South Africa and other countries that have banned poultry imports from Brazil to lift those restrictions.
South Africa initially banned all poultry imports from Brazil, effective from 1 May 2025. Following a compartmentalisation agreement between the two countries, South Africa then modified the ban from 19 June to apply only to Brazil’s southern province of Rio Grande do Sul, where the outbreak occurred.
If there are any further outbreaks in commercial poultry in Brazil, South African bans will be applied on a provincial basis.
A Brazil ban means jobs for South Africa
A longer ban on Brazilian chicken imports would have led to growth and job creation in South Africa, according to Izaak Breitenbach of the SA Poultry Association (SAPA).
He told the Citizen newspaper that the ban on imports from Brazil could have been seen as an opportunity for more local production of chicken meat and offal instead of importing them.
“It would have created jobs and assisted in keeping chicken prices down in the long run. This move (to lift the total ban on Brazilian chicken) will thus support imports at the expense of local production,” Breitenbach said.
