27 March 2026
The Chilean Ministry of Agriculture has announced an immediate suspension of all poultry product exports following the detection of the first commercial case of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (H5N1) in 2026.
On March 25, 2026, the virus was identified at a large-scale table-egg layer farm located in El Monte, near the capital city of Santiago. This detection follows a series of outbreaks reported in wild birds and backyard flocks since early March.
The affected facility houses approximately 600,000 birds, making this one of the largest and most significant H5N1 events ever recorded in Chile.
