Bird flu: Brazil hopes China and other countries may loosen trade bans

Govt officials see flexibility on chicken exports if outbreak can be contained in southern state

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BRASILIA - Brazil's poultry industry is reeling from the country's first bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm, but officials are hoping that China and other major consumers will soon loosen countrywide bans on importing Brazil's chicken.

If the world's largest chicken exporter can contain the outbreak in its southernmost state, then China could follow the example of Japan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to limit bans to only that state's chicken, government officials said.

"Since global demand is very strong, it's likely that there will soon be some flexibility," said Mr Luis Rua, international secretary at Brazil's Agriculture Ministry. "We are doing our part to quickly share information, so things aren't suspended for long."

Brazil's chicken exports account for more than 35 per cent of global trade, making a nationwide ban painful not just for Brazilian farmers but also major importers.

Brazil provides over half of China's chicken imports, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said, with much of the rest coming from the US.