LatinNews Daily - 19 August 2020

* Hong Kong has suspended imports from a chicken processing plant in Xaxim, in Brazil's Santa Catarina state, owned by Cooperativa Central Aurora Alimentos, over coronavirus (Covid-19) concerns. Last week Chinese authorities identified Aurora, which is Brazil’s third largest chicken and pork processor, as the origin of frozen chicken products with alleged traces of Covid-19 found in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. The Brazilian association of animal protein (Abpa) has said that it supports Aurora in its request for clarification, noting that the company has not been formally informed of the ban by the Hong Kong authorities, and could take the issue to the World Trade Organization (WTO) over lack of “scientific basis” for the ban. The Abpa has stressed that there is no scientific evidence that Covid-19 can be transmitted through meat. This move by Hong Kong comes after the Philippines temporarily suspended imports of all Brazilian poultry last week, over the same concerns of coronavirus contagion. Aurora has since announced that it will carry out Covid-19 tests using the RT-PCR method on its employees at four different plants.

End of preview - This article contains approximately 181 words.

Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article

Not a Subscriber?

Choose from one of the following options

• Subscribe
• Sign up for a one-time, 14-day trial