China lifts Brazilian poultry imports ban over bird flu

Beijing, China - China lifted a ban linked to Brazil's avian influenza outbreak, the country's General Administration of Customs said in a notice released on Friday.

China issued a countrywide embargo on all imports of poultry and related products from Brazil over a bird flu outbreak in May.

The ban has been repealed effective immediately "on the basis of risk analysis results," the Chinese customs agency said in the notice, which was released on Friday but dated October 31.

Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter and China's biggest chicken meat supplier, confirmed a bird flu outbreak on a commercial poultry farm in mid-May, triggering a slew of international trade bans.

The South American country exported chicken meat worth some $10 billion in 2024, accounting for about 35% of global trade, making a nationwide ban painful not only for Brazilian farmers but also major importers.

(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Kate Mayberry)