São Paulo, 9/2/2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, has formally declared Brazil free of the "New Castle" chicken disease, and signed a document to that effect.

There has not been a case of New Castle disease in Brazil for five years. The minister said, "The signing of this document is a historical day for the poultry sector which has been working to eradicate the disease a long time." Rodrigues pointed out that by eliminating New Castle disease, Brazil is now a strong candidate to become the world's biggest poultry exporter. At the moment, Brazil is in second place, exporting 1,370,000 tons of chicken annually. (AB)