Japan: Japan has temporarily banned imports of poultry meat from the southern Brazilian city of Montenegro, as well as live poultry imports from the greater Rio Grande do Sul state, following an outbreak of bird flu. The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture said the ban took effect last Friday after Brazil, the world’s largest poultry exporter, confirmed its first case of bird flu at a poultry farm.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Japan relies heavily on poultry imports from Brazil, and the spread of bird flu in Brazil could impact the Japanese meat market, where food prices are already rising, according to the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries revealed that Japan’s self-sufficiency rate for poultry meat, including processed products, is approximately 65%.

Brazil recently announced that Mexico, Chile, Uruguay, China, and the European Union have suspended poultry imports following an outbreak of avian influenza at a commercial farm.