Korea and Brazil have completed negotiations on the regionalization of poultry and have decided to allow the import of chicken produced in areas free from highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs noted on the 11th that it would announce the 'import sanitation conditions amendment proposal' reflecting the results of the HPAI regionalization negotiations by the 20th.
According to this amendment proposal, chicken can be imported from states where HPAI has not occurred. If HPAI occurs in a bordering area, imports of chicken from that region will also be restricted if it is within 10 km of the outbreak point.
For 'breeder' chickens, which are the basis of chicken production, imports are allowed based on cities where HPAI has not occurred. Until now, all breeder chickens needed in Korea were imported from the United States or Europe. However, with recent outbreaks of AI in the U.S., there have been many cases where breeder chicken imports have been restricted. An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, 'We are looking to Brazil as an alternative supplier for breeder chickens,' adding, 'Although the current domestic supply share is low, it is expected that the import ratio will increase as a result of this opportunity.'
The government has shortened the administrative announcement period to quickly proceed with the regionalization import procedures for Brazilian chicken. An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said, 'Considering the domestic supply situation of imported chicken, we have reduced the administrative announcement period from the usual 'more than 20 days' to 10 days,' and added, 'During this period, we will gather opinions from stakeholders and finalize and implement the amendment proposal.'