Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry announced on Sunday that it has ruled out three potential new cases of Newcastle disease in poultry after conducting additional tests on samples from birds in the vicinity of the first confirmed case last week. Newcastle disease is a viral infection affecting both domestic and wild birds, leading to respiratory issues and potentially resulting in death. This marks Brazil’s first detection of the disease in poultry since 2006.
The ministry described the negative results as a “very positive sign” for containing the situation and emphasized the effectiveness of Brazil’s agricultural defense system. The additional samples were taken from three properties within the protection zone in Rio Grande do Sul, where the initial case was detected in subsistence birds.
Following the confirmation of the first case, the government implemented a voluntary ban on poultry exports to certain countries. The Brazilian meat lobby ABPA and the state poultry association ASGAV expressed their support for the test results, stating that they confirm the initial case was “an isolated” incident.
The single case was reported after the death of approximately 7,000 birds on a small chicken farm, which accounted for 50% of the flock. In response to the outbreak, Brazil has imposed export restrictions affecting sales to 44 nations, including China, Argentina, the European Union, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro expressed confidence in the swift resolution of the situation, stating, “I am confident that with the agility of our teams, we will return to normal export operations very soon.”