Japanese embargo could cause billion-dollar damage to Brazil’s Santa Catarina state’s poultry industry

Santa Catarina’s poultry industry faces potential financial challenges following Japan’s decision to halt poultry meat imports from the region.

The decision follows an avian influenza diagnosis in a chicken from Maracajá, a town in Santa Catarina.

However, the infected chicken belonged to a subsistence farm, having no connection to the industrial poultry sector, which remains unaffected by the disease.

In 2022, Japan accounted for almost 15% of Santa Catarina’s poultry export revenues.

As a key consumer of poultry meat, Japan received approximately 137,000 tons from Santa Catarina that year, equating to over one kilogram per person across Japan’s 125 million population.

The industry, in total, brought in US$2 billion in foreign revenue for the state in the same year.

Globally, Japan is the largest importer of poultry, accounting for 35% of its domestic demand in 2022, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Santa Catarina contributed to 13% of Japan’s total import needs.

As such, the halt in imports from Santa Catarina could significantly influence the financial dynamics of the region’s poultry industry.

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