The suspension will last 60 days, Carlos Favaro said in a press statement.

An outbreak of a new strain of "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI) has been confirmed on a farm in Montenegro in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, the ministry said.

It stressed the disease could not be transmitted to humans "by the consumption of poultry meat or eggs."

Human infection mainly occurs through contact with infected birds or their secretions.

Brazil says containment and eradication measures have been put in place for the country that is the largest exporter of chicken meat to China, with 562,000 tons in 2024.