No poultry or poultry products S'pore imports from Brazil farm hit by bird flu outbreak

Singapore does not import poultry or poultry products from the farm hit by the highly contagious bird flu in Brazil.

Responding to queries, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) in a joint statement on May 19 said there are arrangements in place with Brazil in the event of a bird flu outbreak.

"Under such arrangements, in response to food safety concerns, imports from affected establishments and those within a buffer zone may be suspended while those imports from unaffected areas outside the buffer zone can continue," it added.

The two agencies also work with the industry to accredit new sources of poultry that meet Singapore's food safety requirements, the statement said.

It added: "While our overall supply of poultry is currently stable, we can expect supply fluctuations from time to time due to disease outbreaks and supply disruptions.

"For instance, several countries are affected by bird flu outbreaks which affected their poultry production."

Diversifying the sources of food supply remains a key food security strategy for Singapore, the two agencies said.

"Diversification reduces the impact of disruption from any single source as our importers can turn to alternative sources quickly to stabilise our food supply," the statement said.

Following reports of a bird flu outbreak on a commercial farm in Brazil - the world's biggest chicken exporter - more countries have announced trade bans to prevent a spread across borders.

On May 19, Japan became the latest country to say that it had suspended some imports of poultry from parts of Brazil, joining a growing list that includes Brazil's top chicken buyer China and the European Union.

This occurred just days after the South American nation on May 16 reported its first case of the highly contagious bird flu virus on a commercial farm.

Singapore relies heavily on imported food, and Brazil is one of its top sources of chicken.

How dependent are we on Brazil for chicken?

Brazil ranked as Singapore's top supplier of chicken from 2019 to 2021, accounting for nearly half of the Republic's chicken imports during those years, according to annual SFA food statistics.

AVS and SFA said while Brazil is "one of our top sources of poultry", Singapore's overall supply is "well-diversified" with 30 accredited sources, including countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Denmark and Malaysia.

"If there are supply disruptions from any source, we will work with the industry to increase chilled and frozen chicken supply from other sources if necessary," the agencies said.

How serious is the strain of bird flu in Brazil?

The strain of bird flu in Brazil has been identified as a highly pathogenic avian influenza. This refers to a variant that is deadly to domestic poultry and can wipe out entire flocks in a few days, according to the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's website.

Bird flu spreads mainly among birds, but it can also affect humans. Infection occurs through contact with the saliva, nasal secretions and faeces of infected birds, or surfaces that are contaminated with the virus.

There is no vaccine for cases of bird flu in humans, but vaccines are available for birds.

Brazil first confirmed outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian flu among wild birds in May 2023, but had not registered a case on a commercial farm until May 16 in the city of Montenegro in Brazil's southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul.

Since the case was detected, the local authorities and farmers have stepped up efforts to trace and eradicate the virus.

As at May 17, 450 tonnes of eggs from Rio Grande do Sul have been destroyed, and veterinary officials are isolating the area of the outbreak in Montenegro and scanning for more cases in an initial 10km radius.

State officials on May 16 said the outbreak had already led to the deaths of 17,000 farm chickens, either from the disease or because of cautionary culling.

How could the bird flu affect Singapore's chicken supply?

The heavy reliance on food imports makes Singapore vulnerable to global food supply disruptions from disease outbreak and policy decisions by foreign governments, SFA said in its latest food statistics report in May 2024.

When outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza were detected previously, Singapore had typically responded with targeted poultry import restrictions.

In their statement, AVS and SFA said that, as part of measures for keeping bird flu out, Singapore suspends imports from regions affected by bird flu or only allows products that have been heat treated to inactivate the virus.

For instance, when cases of the virus were found in four prefectures in Japan in 2023, the Republic suspended the import of raw poultry and poultry products from those areas.

Disruptions to the chicken supply can lead to higher prices.

When Malaysia announced that it would stop exporting chickens in 2022 to ease a domestic supply shortage, the effects were keenly felt across the Causeway in Singapore. Chicken sellers faced higher supply costs, forcing some dependent on Malaysian livestock to halt operations because of the ban.

As the first month of the ban ended, SFA approved Indonesia as a new source of frozen, chilled and processed chicken meat.