Emergency in Brazil as avian flu outbreak reported in neighboring Bolivia, poultry exports total US$ 9.7 billion

After two decades, the highly pathogenic (when almost all infected animals show symptoms of the disease) avian flu has become a real threat to Brazilian flocks and production. Nine countries in Central and South America have confirmed 75 outbreaks of the disease in recent months and have already had to sacrifice 1.2 million birds. According to Valor Economico, the country's main financial daily, the entry of the virus into the country could affect Brazilian chicken exports, which in 2022 reached a record 4.8 million tons, or US$ 9.7 billion, partly favored by the impact of influenza in the Northern Hemisphere and by the interruption of sales in countries affected by the disease. The notification of a case in Cochabamba, Bolivia, last weekend, caused an uproar in Brazil, as it means that the virus has crossed the Andes Mountains, which is considered a natural barrier. Until then, the disease had only reached the southern half of the continent in migratory birds concentrated on the ...