Mexico suspends chicken imports from Brazil over Newcastle disease outbreak

Mexico on Monday suspended chicken imports from Brazil, the world’s largest chicken meat exporter, following reports of a Newcastle disease outbreak in that country. 

Mexico’s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety and Quality (Senasica) halted imports of chicken meat, all live birds and fertile eggs to prevent the spread of Newcastle disease to Mexico, a measure that will apply to commercial imports and products carried in by tourists. 

Newcastle disease is a highly contagious respiratory infection in birds that can cause neurological disorders, reduced egg production and high mortality rates, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. It poses no serious risk to humans. 

Brazilian authorities first detected an outbreak of the disease at a commercial turkey farm in southern Brazil on Sunday, Brazil’s public news agency reported. 

Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock then confirmed the presence of the disease at a commercial broiler chicken farm in the municipality of Nova Itaberaba, Santa Catarina state, on Monday. 

The agency reassured the public that the facility had been closed and that measures had been implemented to control and eradicate the outbreak. 

Brazil exports a massive 30% of its chicken production, according to official figures, and, in 2025, Mexico was Brazil’s seventh-largest poultry buyer. 

This is the second time in 17 months that Mexico has suspended the import of poultry products from Brazil. In May and June 2025, Mexico, China, the European Union and other Latin American countries halted imports of Brazilian chicken due to an outbreak of avian influenza.

The last outbreak of Newcastle disease in Brazil occurred in July 2024 in Santa Catarina’s neighboring state of Rio Grande do Sul. During that period, chicken exports fell by about 25%, or 100,000 metric tonnes, according to estimates by analysts at JPMorgan. However, trade quickly rebounded as markets reopened. 

The current outbreak is not expected to cause lasting damage to Brazil’s poultry industry so long as authorities can contain it quickly, according to analysts.