The recent surge in bird flu cases has affected not only production, but also led to stricter biosecurity standards and surveillance measures that indirectly impact production costs and export competitiveness.

The outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) strain H5N1 has once again shaken the global poultry industry following its re-emergence in various countries from late 2025 to early 2026. The H5N1 virus is not a new disease. Since the early 2000s, it has caused major crises in the global poultry sector, and the virus has never truly disappeared. After being relatively controlled in several countries, H5N1 cases surged again in certain regions last year.

This pathogenic virus continues to evolve and is capable of spreading rapidly through wild birds and mammals. While Avian Influenza (AI) was initially transmitted mainly by wild birds, recent reports suggest that various mammals may also play a role in spreading the disease, triggering new waves of outbreaks that are no longer seasonal and are increasingly difficult to predict.

Avian Influenza (AI), or bird flu, has not only wiped out poultry populations in affected countries, but has also triggered a domino effect that has disrupted parts of the global poultry trade. The emergence of just one bird flu case on a farm can be enough to shut export access to dozens of countries simultaneously. Even if an outbreak is localized to a single area, the systemic impact can still be felt across the entire national industry.

The Impact of AI on Poultry Export-Import Traffic

The clearest example of this phenomenon occurred on May 16, 2025, when Brazil, one of the world’s largest poultry exporters, confirmed its first HPAI case at a commercial farm in Montenegro, Rio Grande do Sul state. Within days, international reactions poured in.

China imposed a total ban on all poultry and related product imports from Brazil, a severe blow considering that Brazil previously supplied nearly half of China’s imported chicken meat needs. The European Union soon followed, no longer allowing Brazil to export poultry products to the bloc because exporting countries are required to be free from HPAI, and Brazil could no longer issue the necessary animal health certificates.

Similar restrictions were imposed by more than twenty countries, including Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Turkey, South Korea, Japan, Kuwait, and Ukraine. In an instant, Brazil’s poultry exports came to a halt across many of its major markets.

Brazil recorded export revenues of around US$10 billion, contributing nearly 35 percent of global chicken meat trade in 2024. Poultry products from the country reached approximately 150 destination countries. This high concentration of global trade in Brazil is one of the reasons why the impact of the bird flu outbreak was felt so widely.

Not standing still, the Brazilian government moved swiftly. Minister of Agriculture Carlos Fávaro emphasized that the country successfully controlled the outbreak through a rapid, transparent response in accordance with international protocols. Following the first and only commercial farm case detected in May 2025, the government immediately carried out area isolation, limited culling, and a sanitary standstill.

These measures were crucial because, under the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health, a country can only be declared disease-free after 28 consecutive days without any new cases. Brazil met these requirements and officially regained its HPAI-free status on June 18, 2025, reopening the door for global trade negotiations.

This article is an excerpt from the International section of Poultry Indonesia magazine, May 2026 edition. Read the full article in Poultry Indonesia Magazine May 2026 Edition. For subscriptions or further information, contact: https://wa.me/+6287780120754 or sirkulasipoultry@gmail.com

Get more information about Indonesia’s poultry industry by joining the Satwa Media Group WhatsApp Channel.