Mexico suspends imports of Brazilian chicken over outbreak of Newcastle disease

MEXICO CITY – Mexican agricultural officials on Oct 19 suspended imports of chicken meat, live birds and hatching eggs from Brazil due to an outbreak of Newcastle disease.“The measure was taken with the purpose of protecting domestic poultry production,” the Secretariat of Agriculture and Rural Development said.Brazilian authorities detected the outbreak on Oct 18 at a commercial farm in the south of the country and shut it down, national media reported.The highly contagious respiratory virus poses no threat to humans, but among chickens, it can cause neurological disorders, reduced egg production and increased mortality, animal health officials said.This is the second time in 1½ years that Mexico has suspended poultry products from Brazil, which exports 30% of its poultry products.In 2025, Mexico, China, the European Union and other Latin American countries halted imports of Brazilian chicken during May and June because of an avian flu outbreak. AFP