Brazil rules out bird flu case on a commercial farm in Rio Grande do Sul state

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By Debora Ely

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (Reuters) -Test results for a suspected bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm in the town of Anta Gorda in Rio Grande do Sul state came back negative, according to an analysis of samples released by the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry on Monday.

That was the only potential case currently under investigation on a commercial farm in Brazil, the world’s largest chicken meat exporter.

The results were negative for both bird flu and Newcastle disease, the document showed. Both these diseases may trigger trade bans.

The first case of bird flu on a commercial farm in Brazil was also in Rio Grande do Sul state, on May 16.

On May 22, Brazilian authorities declared a 28-day bird flu observation period following the full disinfection of the farm where the first outbreak was detected.

In the days following the first case in Brazil, 1.7 million eggs were destroyed in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the state’s department of agriculture.

Teams that run the farm where bird flu was detected, buried waste that had first been incinerated to prevent the spread of the virus. The virus killed around 15,000 birds and the farm culled an additional 2,000.

Brazil hopes that by the end of the observation period the country’s chicken farms can be free of bird flu disease, provided no new cases are confirmed.

Controlling the outbreak would allow Brazil to resume trade with partners that have suspended chicken imports from the country, such as China and the European Union, after the first and only outbreak was confirmed.

(Reporting by Debora Ely in Porto Alegre; Writing by Isabel Teles and Andre Romani in São Paulo; Editing by Ana Mano, Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)