International - Egg and Poultry Review: Newcastle in Brazil

Brazil reported and outbreak of Newcastle disease on a farm in Rio Grande do Sul at Vale de Real on May 2, 2006. The flock contained 44 susceptible birds with 17 cases including 16 deaths, 23 birds were destroyed. The last occurrence of Newcastle in Brazil was in April, 2001. The state of Rio Grande do Sul has 17% of the poultry production and 24% of Brazil’s first half 2006 poultry exports. The outbreak comes as Brazil is already facing an approximate 6% decline in poultry exports in the first half of 2006 when compared to 2005 due outbreaks of avian influenza in the European Union (EU) and other parts of the world. However, the EU has guaranteed to continue purchasing poultry from Brazil and could even increase imports from Brazil due to reduced tariff lines as a result of the WTO ruling against the EU in the “salted poultry” case brought by Brazil and Thailand. Reports have been noted that the EU and Brazil are currently negotiating an import quota to control the anticipated flow of poultry meat imports. Brazil is also starting to face pressure from within the EU in response to a report (DG SANCO/7712/2005) released by the European Food and Veterinary Office (FVO). The report describes the outcome of a mission by FVO in Brazil from November 23 to December, 2005 that focused on the implementation of corrective actions and guarantees given by the Brazilian authorities in response to recommendations made in the 2003 FVO mission report (DG SANCO/9047/2003). The executive summary of the report states “...that most of the deficiencies found in 2003 have still not been rectified and many of the promised actions did not in fact happen.” As a result, some in the EU are demanding the complete ban of meat and egg imports from Brazil.