Philippines may see chicken shortage as Brazil ban looms
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is likely to face a one- to two-week supply gap in chicken following a poultry import ban on Brazil, one of the world’s top exporters.
Brazil is grappling with a bird flu outbreak. While such outbreaks are not new, Brazil is among the world's leading chicken exporters, accounting for 35% of global trade in poultry, according to Reuters.
“Yes, we will have to ban the whole country from exporting chicken to us,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said at a Palace briefing.
“There may be a brief supply gap of perhaps one or two weeks, because they have to change origins,” he added, speaking partly in Filipino.
Tiu Laurel said the Philippines and Brazil do not have a regionalization agreement, which means the ban must cover the entire country. To fill the gap, the Philippines will source chicken from other countries.
He admitted, however, that Brazilian poultry is among the cheapest options. Sourcing from other suppliers would be costlier, though only by small percentages.
“In general, I don’t see any issue, because even our local poultry industry has a good production, so I do not see any issue,” he said.
As of May 17, whole chicken retailed for P170 to P230 in leading Metro Manila wet markets.
What is bird flu? Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or AI H5N1, is highly pathogenic and deadly for poultry, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of bird flu spreading to humans is low, though cases have been recorded. Symptoms in humans include sore eyes, flu-like conditions, fever, and others.
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