Japan Halts Brazilian Poultry Imports Following Bird Flu Outbreak

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Japanese government swiftly suspended poultry imports from two Brazilian regions after the world's biggest poultry exporter reported its first bird flu outbreak at a commercial poultry farm.

The policy was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture of Japan on Monday, May 19, 2025, in response to the confirmed cases in the municipality of Montenegro in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

As quoted from CNA, the ban took effect from the previous Friday and covered poultry meat from the city of Montenegro and live poultry from the entire state of Rio Grande do Sul. Tokyo's decision added to the list of major importing countries that restricted Brazilian poultry products, including the European Union, South Korea, and China, the world's largest consumer of Brazilian chicken.

Brazil supplied more than 70 percent of Japan's poultry imports throughout the fiscal year 2024, which ended in March. Data from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries recorded that around 429,000 metric tons of Brazilian chicken were shipped to the Land of the Rising Sun during the period.

Now, the supply from Brazil is partially closed, raising concerns about the availability and prices of poultry in Japan, which has previously been affected by global food inflation.

"We will closely monitor the impact on domestic distribution and market conditions," said a ministry official, as quoted from The Japan Times. He added that Japan's self-sufficiency rate for poultry, including processed products, is only about 65 percent, far from sufficient if supply disruptions persist.

The first case of bird flu was reported at a commercial farm in Montenegro, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

On Saturday, a team from Vibra Foods, a Brazilian operation backed by Tyson Foods TSN.N, which manages the farm, buried waste that had been incinerated earlier to prevent the spread of the bird flu virus.

The virus killed about 15,000 birds, and the farm also destroyed another 2,000. Vibra Foods did not respond to requests for comment.

The federal and state governments of Brazil are currently struggling to contain the spread. In the state of Minas Gerais, local authorities even destroyed 450 metric tons of eggs known to have come from the affected region.

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture traced the distribution of these eggs to the states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, and deployed teams to inspect more than 500 properties within a 10-kilometer radius of the outbreak site.

As Japan partially closes its import access from Brazil, other countries such as Singapore, where 48 percent of its poultry supply comes from Brazil according to 2021 data, are considering similar actions. Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority is monitoring the situation and has not yet released an official policy.

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