Brazil Confirms Newcastle Disease Outbreak, Mexico Suspends Chicken Imports
Cubierto por 3 fuentesPublicado
- bichos del campoBrasil padece un brote de Newcastle en una granja avícola cercana a Misiones y sufre un traspié en sus exportaciones
- datamar newsNewcastle disease outbreak threatens Brazil’s poultry exports to China
- datamar newsChile Suspends Poultry Imports From Santa Catarina
- Todo logistica NewsParaguay suspende importaciones avícolas desde Santa Catarina por brote de Newcastle
- datamar newsBrazilian Poultry Import Restrictions Expected After Newcastle
Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock confirmed an outbreak of Newcastle disease at a commercial poultry farm in the municipality of Nova Itaberaba, in the state of Santa Catarina, in the south of the country near the Argentine province of Misiones. The confirmation led Mexico to suspend chicken meat imports from all of Brazil, while other countries, such as China and Chile, adopted preventive restrictions on the country's poultry products.
Detection and affected species
Sources differ on the type of bird involved: according to bichos de campo it was a broiler chicken farm, while datamar news and Todo logistica News reported that the outbreak occurred on a turkey farm with around 6,000 birds. The samples that detected the virus were taken on September 21, 2026 as part of an active surveillance program, with the birds showing no clinical signs, and the results indicated a possible infection on October 14. The case was confirmed on October 18 through analysis by the Federal Agricultural Defense Laboratory, based in Campinas, São Paulo.
Outbreak containment
The affected facility was shut down by the Official Veterinary Service and the culling of the animals was ordered, while the movement of poultry was suspended. Authorities extended surveillance to 133 commercial farms located in Nova Itaberaba and in the neighboring municipalities of Nova Erechim, Coronel Freitas and Águas Frias, within a restriction zone of approximately 10 kilometers around the outbreak site.
Restrictions by country
Mexico decided to suspend chicken purchases from all of Brazil, while China, the main buyer, limited the ban to processing plants in Santa Catarina, something Brazilian authorities considered a victory. Chile also suspended imports of poultry products from that state, as did Paraguay, which halted the entry of live birds, fertile eggs and genetic material originating from Santa Catarina pending an updated risk assessment by Senacsa. According to the bilateral protocols in force cited by datamar news, other destinations such as the European Union, Peru, Ukraine and Kazakhstan are also applying restrictions limited to the state, while countries such as Argentina, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are restricting the ban to the area affected by the outbreak.
Economic impact and official response
The announcement affected the shares of exporting meatpacking companies, particularly MBRF, a company linked to the affected farm through an integrated production arrangement, according to datamar news. Santa Catarina is Brazil's second-largest poultry meat exporting state, accounting for a 23% share of shipments, behind Paraná, and between January and September 2026 the country exported 4.42 million tonnes of chicken meat, 14% more than in the same period of 2025, worth 8.67 billion dollars, according to data from the Brazilian Animal Protein Association cited by the same source. Agriculture Minister André de Paula stressed that consumption of poultry products subject to official inspection remains safe, and that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was informed of the outbreak and called for action with rigor and transparency.
