Chile: SAG denies having received new notification from China regarding poultry exports amid AI outbreak
The Chilean Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG) issued a statement clarifying the situation regarding Chilean poultry exports to China, following a Reuters report that the Chinese health authority had banned the entry of these products due to an outbreak of avian influenza.
However, it was Chile that first suspended the certification of poultry exports to international markets immediately after confirming an outbreak at a farm in the Metropolitan Region on March 24.
Following notification to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) through the WAHIS animal health information system, SAG officially informed Chinese authorities of the details of the sanitary measures adopted on March 26.
It was then that China, on March 27, proceeded to suspend the import of Chilean poultry meat, although with one exception: it would allow the entry of all products that were in transit up to that date, in line with the bilateral protocol between both countries.
How much does Chile export to China?
To illustrate the size of China's share of Chile's chicken export market, Juan Carlos Domínguez, president of ChileCarne, said that "82% of Chilean chicken exports are concentrated in the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada," while the Asian giant represents only 7.8% of the total.
In figures, this translates to almost US$34 million shipped to Beijing out of a total of US$437 million exported in 2025.
The head of the meat industry association highlighted that zoning agreements are in place with all major markets, "which allowed us to resume shipments from free trade zones in less than 72 hours during the recent event."
However, Chile is currently negotiating a similar agreement with China.
“It is important to highlight the importance of negotiating sanitary zoning agreements, given that they are a key tool for ensuring the continuity of exports,” Domínguez emphasized, adding that “Chile has robust contingency plans.”
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