Santa Catarina Outbreak Triggers Trade Freeze
Brazil has confirmed an outbreak of Newcastle disease at a commercial turkey farm in the southern municipality of Nova Itaberaba. The facility is under strict veterinary quarantine, and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has shuttered the site to contain the virus, according to ABC Noticias.
Mexico Imposes Blanket Import Ban
Mexico’s Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development responded by suspending all poultry imports from Brazil. The National Service for Health, Food Safety and Food Quality (Senasica) is enforcing the ban, which covers poultry meat, offal, fertile eggs, day-old chicks, and various avian species. The agency has disabled its import permit platform to block entry of these goods, whether through commercial channels or personal travel.
Conflicting Reports on Facility Scope
Discrepancies have emerged regarding the scale of the incident. While the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock identified the site as a facility housing approximately 6,000 turkeys, Mexican officials characterized the outbreak as occurring on a broiler chicken farm.
Brazil Claims Poultry Consumption Remains Safe
Despite the international trade fallout, the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) maintains the virus was detected only at a clinical level and has not spread among the confined animals. Brazilian authorities have notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and trade partners, insisting that poultry consumption remains safe and poses no risk to human health.
Mexico Suspends Imports Pending Further Sanitary Information
This detection follows a 2024 incident in which China suspended poultry imports from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul following an isolated case of the disease. Newcastle disease is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads through direct contact with infected birds or contaminated materials, such as feces, respiratory secretions, vehicles, and clothing. The Mexican government has not established a date for resuming imports, stating that the suspension will remain in place while the agency gathers further sanitary information.