Brazil has become the first country in the world authorized to export chicken meat to Israel. The two countries concluded negotiations at the end of August.
Representatives from the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock met local health authorities throughout the week and visited facilities to gather information on the kosher production process, in which food is prepared according to rules of Judaism. Companies that export to Israel must implement these processes.
According to the Brazilian Animal Protein Association, Israel is a market with increasing demand for chicken meat. Data from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture shows that the country has an annual consumption of more than 600 thousand tons and an estimate of 700 thousand tons per year by 2026. Chicken is the most consumed animal protein in the country. One Israeli consumes more than 42 kilos of chicken meat per year, one of the highest rates in the world.
In Brazil, for the first time in history, the poultry sector is expected to surpass the milestone of 5 million tons of meat exported worldwide. This volume is up to 8% higher than last year’s shipments.
Brazilian chicken meat production
Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of fresh chicken meat, accounting for about 14.3% of production and 33.9% of exports. In 2022, Brazilian exports were approximately 4.6 million tons, an increase of 9.5% compared to 2021.
In 2022, Brazilian fresh chicken meat exports reached an accumulated worth of US$ 9.1 billion, the best result in the period analyzed (2012-2022). This performance is 27.0% higher than that seen in the same period in 2021. In 2022, the three main destination countries for exports of the product were China (14.7% of the total); the United Arab Emirates (10.4%); and Japan (10.3%).
Due to the sub-tropical climate and sustainable farming practices, Brazilian chickens live in ventilated spaces with lower density. The result is good animal health and welfare conditions, environmentally friendly production, and competitive rates.
The animals are raised in open-sided houses, lit by daylight, and naturally ventilated. All this has implicit benefits for animal welfare, preventing excess heat and diseases. It is important to note that Brazil is one of the few large poultry producers that has never registered a single case of avian influenza (bird flu) and is also free of Newcastle disease. All Brazilian poultry exported are also hormone-free.