The National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (Senasa) began a negotiation process with different countries to resume Argentine exports of poultry products after the suspension of operations due to the detection of avian influenzainformed the president of the organization, Diana Guillén.
“It is an international standard of the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO) for infectious diseases in general, the protocol indicates that an immediate complaint must be made, suspend exports, provide information and start bilateral negotiations with the purchasing countries,” Guillén explained to Télam.
The head of Senasa added that “This Wednesday there is a meeting at the Foreign Ministry to inform all the embassies” about the situation, and explained that there are 55 buyer countries, of which four -China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and Chile- concentrate 80% of exports.
Guillen said that the countries “in general they wait a while and resume” purchases, and that the result “depends on country-to-country negotiations, it is bilateral”.
According to biosafety guidelines, compartmentalization and zoning are procedures that can be used to define the sanitary status in different establishments or zones within the country and, in this way, certify exports from those places and resume shipments to purchasing countries that they will accept it
Argentina exports 17% of its poultry production (in 2022, the country exported US$421 million in meat and eggs), the rest goes to the domestic market that consumes most of the production.
This Tuesday, Senasa confirmed the first positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry from Río Negro and the country temporarily lost its disease-free status, for which reason the export of poultry products was suspended. in compliance with international standards.
“There is no risk with what is consumed in Argentina”Diana Guillen
The positive case comes from a broiler chicken establishment located in Mainque, Río Negro, south of the Patagonian zoophytosanitary barrier, in an area of low poultry density.
Guillén pointed out that in that establishment it was indicated “quarantine and slaughter of the birds, cleaning must be done and wait for the 28-day cycle before seeing what happened to the place again.”
Regarding the production that cannot be exported, he said that “it can be turned to the internal market” and called for “the population to remain calm, that it can be consumed because (the disease) is not transmitted by meat and eggs and what is sold comes from healthy companies.”
“There is no risk with what is consumed in Argentina“, assured the head of Senasa.
In this way, those refrigerators that export will be able to market their products in the domestic market.
After learning of the positive case, the Secretary of Agriculture, Juan José Bahillo, assured that “our poultry products continue to be safe for Argentines. The suspension of exports responds to the requirements of international regulations.”
On the social network Twitter, he assured that “Senasa decided to carry out the corresponding containment measures, established in the Avian Influenza Contingency Manual, in order to avoid dispersion in other poultry-producing establishments.”
⚠️ Avian influenza: The first positive case in poultry was confirmed in the province of Río Negro pic.twitter.com/kJgrqmCVde
— Senasa Argentina (@SenasaAR) March 1, 2023
“Our dialogue with the private sector is constant, as well as our presence of technicians in the territory to continue reinforcing the biosafety measures necessary to deal with the situation and restore the health status of our country as soon as possible”he remarked.
Of the 177 notifications analyzed by the Senasa Laboratory to date, there are 25 confirmed cases. (three in wild birds, 21 in the backyard and one in the commercial sector) distributed as follows: Córdoba (13), Buenos Aires (4), Río Negro (2), Santa Fe (2), Jujuy (1), Neuquén (1), San Luis (1) and Salta (1).
Report if suspicious cases are observed
In case of observing the presence or suspicion of clinical signs compatible with the disease in birds or finding dead domestic and/or wild birds, notify Senasa by visiting any of its offices; through the “Senasa Notifications” application, by sending an email to [email protected]; entering the “Notify Senasa” section of the organization’s website or by sending a WhatsApp to 11-5700-5704.
