China issues countrywide ban on Brazilian poultry imports

Beijing | Reuters—China has issued a ban on all imports of poultry and related products from Brazil over an avian influenza outbreak, two weeks after suspending import applications from the country’s poultry farms.

All direct and indirect Brazilian poultry imports are banned, and will be returned or destroyed if brought or mailed into the country, China’s General Administration of Customs said in a website notice dated May 29.

Why it matters: Brazil is the largest global poultry exporter and China’s largest chicken supplier.

Read Also

Russia needs action to remain world’s top wheat exporter, government official says

Russia needs to act swiftly in order to maintain its position as the world’s top wheat exporter, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said on Friday, acknowledging a sharp slowdown in wheat exports in the current season.

It also said all animal and plant waste from inbound ships from Brazil must be treated under customs’ supervision and not discarded without authorization.

Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter and China’s biggest chicken meat supplier, confirmed a bird flu outbreak on a commercial poultry farm in the city of Montenegro in its southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul on May 16, triggering a slew of international trade bans.

The Brazilian government had asked China to restrict its embargo to poultry products just from the city where the outbreak occurred, but Beijing’s announcement showed it had shrugged off the call for a limited ban.

China, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the main destinations for Brazil’s chicken exports. The other three countries imposed only statewide bans.

The European Union and South Korea have also banned Brazilian chicken.

Brazil exported some $10 billion of chicken meat in 2024, accounting for about 35 per cent of global trade, making a nationwide ban painful not just for Brazilian farmers but also major importers.

Brazilian farmers have been counting on warming relations between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping to ease the poultry trade ban.

—Reporting by Ella Cao, Xiuhao Chen and Liz Lee

---

You’ll also receive industry insight on why it matters delivered right to your inbox, 6 days a week!