RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -China is studying ways to soon lift its ban on imports of chicken meat from Brazil, in place since the South American nation reported a case of bird flu on a commercial farm in May, Brazilian Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said on Sunday, citing discussions at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.
Speaking during the event, Favaro said the topic came up in a meeting between Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
“I had the opportunity during the bilateral meeting between President Lula and the Chinese premier (to say) that they could already review their position on restrictions,” Favaro told reporters, adding that Li said China is now “studying the protocols quickly to resume the purchase of poultry meat.”
While no timeline for lifting the embargo was discussed, Favaro emphasized Brazil’s efforts to recover export markets after over 20 countries imposed bans following the bird flu case in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Most restrictions were lifted after the World Organization for Animal Health declared the case resolved in late June.
Brazilian poultry exports have suffered, with shipments of fresh chicken meat falling 23% in June to 314,000 tons, according to government data.
On Thursday, the Agriculture Ministry announced that seven more nations had lifted restrictions, leaving bans in place in nine countries, including China, Malaysia, and Peru.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; edited by Manuela Andreoni and Bill Berkrot)
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