SAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazil is taking confident steps to restore its dominance in global poultry exports after declaring its commercial chicken farms free of bird flu. The declaration, made by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday, follows a critical 28-day waiting period with no new outbreaks.

The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said this week that the world's largest poultry exporter has declared itself free of the bird flu virus in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period without any new commercial farm outbreaks.

The countdown to reclaiming the country's disease-free status began on May 22, following the complete disinfection of the farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where Brazil's only commercial outbreak was detected last month.

Under existing trade protocols, China and other importers banned chicken imports from Brazil, which accounts for 39% of global chicken trade, pending measures to control the disease and prevent its entry into other commercial chicken facilities.

Brazil aims to resume chicken exports with its trade partners, but that will require talks with each one, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said in a statement.

Earlier, a Rio Grande do Sul state official had said Brazil had taken all the steps under health protocols to once again declare itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus.

Reclaiming Brazil's status as free HPAI is not automatic and must be confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), according to the body's guidelines.

Brazil's first outbreak hit a chicken breeder farm in the town of Montenegro, where 17,000 birds were culled.