Peru Extends Sanitary Emergency Due to More Avian Flu Cases; Chicken Egg Prices Rise to Fresh Highs

The Peruvian government announced that it would be intensifying the sanitary emergency declared previously, extending it until the 31st of December of 2023, given the "imminent risk of dissemination of the virus into the rest of the national territory".

Peru’s National Service of Agrarian Sanitation (SENASA) had first declared the sanitary emergency in late November, which was set to last 90 days, after the first case of the current bout of Avian Flu (H5N1) was detected in the Lambayeque region, located in the country's Northwestern coast.

Currently, the presence of the virus has been reported in eleven regions (out of 26) of the country. Reports last week indicated that the virus had spread and killed other species, including hundreds of sea lions.

The government, among other measures, prohibited the mobilization of live poultry and products at risk without authorization of the National Service of Agrarian Sanitation (SENASA) inside the affected regions. In addition, it prohibited the distribution of such products inside the national territory without a sanitary certification by an authorized veterinarian, or a sanitary certificate emitted by the SENASA.

At the end of February, the price of chicken was fluctuating between PEN 10-12/kg ($2.6-3.2/kg) in Lima. Meanwhile, the price of chicken eggs, according to Tridge data, has recently reached the highest levels in at least two years. The average of three wholesale price points reported by Tridge, including those in Lima, Pasco, and Huánuco, all roughly located in the middle of the country, touched PEN 8.31/kg ($2.2/kg) in the week beginning February 20th. This represented the highest level in at least two years and increases of 16% month-over-month and 28% year-over-year.

The price of eggs has mirrored the price of chickens, which has also risen sharply. Although the reasons behind the recent price increases include a shortage of chickens given the rise in chicken feed prices, particularly corn and soy prices, the sharp increases seen in the past two weeks also indicate market fear over the potential supply disruptions of avian flu.

This situation will likely be reflected in higher prices in the upcoming weeks. The current H151 virus strain is spread worldwide and has recently hit South America hard. Several cases have been reported in Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina, and many other countries. Argentina issued a sanitary emergency due to the presence of this virus on February 16th, with several more cases reported this past week.

Source: Tridge