Bird flu: Mexico suspends imports of poultry products from Brazil

Mexico has suspended the import of poultry products from Brazil, the country's Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development said in a statement. The Mexican government claims that the measure was taken to "protect the local poultry industry" and that it is a preventive suspension. The suspension applies to the import of chicken meat, hatching eggs and live birds, among other poultry products, from Brazil. In the statement, the secretariat reported that the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture notified the National Service for Health, Safety and Agri-Food Quality (Senasica) on Thursday, May 15, about an outbreak of avian flu (highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1) in Brazilian territory. "Therefore, Mexico has decided to suspend the import of poultry products from Brazil while it receives information from animal health about the response to the outbreak," the Mexican government said. The suspension comes after the confirmation of the first outbreak of avian flu on a ...