Data collected by the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA) show that Brazilian exports of chicken meat (including whole chicken, cut, processed and salted) between January and June this year were up 0 7 per cent over the same period last year, totalling 1.902 million tonnes. Revenue fell by 9.2 per cent to $3.718 billion.

For the month of June, chicken meat exports were down 3.1 per cent to 296,400 tons. Revenue also fell - by 2.2 per cent - to $617.6 million.

According to the vice president of poultry of ABPA, Ricardo Santin, one of the factors that influenced the fall in June was the end of the quota year for the European Union, which restricted the amount of shipments to the old continent just 10 days the month.

He explained that it is a matter of the market cycle and that the new year begins in July.

Mr Santin stressed that revenue from exports of chicken meat is recovering. The largest percentage fall in the revenue occurred in May and already international prices are rising again.

For fresh pork, data from ABPA shows exports between January and June this year fell by one per cent over the previous year, amounting to 200,700 tonnes. Revenue was up by 12.6 per cent to $635.9 million.

For June, both volume and value increased - by 13.5 per cent to with 38,900 tonnes and by 77.9 per cent to $157 million.

ABPA vice president for pigs, Rui Vargas, explained that revenue growth has climbed month after month in 2014, jumping from $80.9 million in January to $157 million in June. He sees this as positive for the sector's exports this year, which have so far increased in value despite being smaller in volume.

Chief executive of ABPA, Francisco Turra, said that exports of both chicken meat and pork increased in dollar terms. Converted into Reais, there is a positive balance for both the month of June and for the first six months of the year, which helps maintain producer incomes, he added.