By Ana Mano and Roberto Samora
SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazilian chicken exports are expected to fall as much as 2% to 5.2 million metric tons this year, meat lobby ABPA said on Wednesday, citing the impact of trade embargoes by large importers following a local outbreak of bird flu in May.
Brazil, the world’s largest exporter, reported its first ever bird flu outbreak in a chicken breeding farm in the south.
Countries like China, Brazil’s top trade partner, have not yet lifted trade embargoes even though the Brazilian government managed to control the outbreak within a month. Other trade partners have gradually eased restrictions over time.
ABPA had previously expected Brazilian chicken exports to rise as much as 1.9% this year.
The group, which represents firms like BRF and JBS, said Brazil’s egg exports were forecast to jump almost 117% to 40,000 tons in 2025, due largely to strong U.S. demand as egg supplies fell due to a bird flu outbreak there.
ABPA said it expected Brazilian chicken output to rise as much as 3% this year to 15.4 million tons, citing a potential increase in per capita consumption of up to 5.4% domestically.
For pork, Brazilian production this year is forecast to grow by as much as 2.2% to 5.42 million tons while exports could rise by 7.2% to 1.45 million tons, the group said.
(Reporting by Ana Mano and Roberto Samora; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bernadette Baum)
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