October 31, 2005

Brazil tries to reverse Indonesia's soymeal ban
 

Brazilian agriculture sanitation officials will meet with the Indonesian ambassador, Hengki A. Pinandito, Friday to discuss suspending a soymeal embargo that Indonesia slapped on Brazil last weekend.

The Indonesian government embargoed soymeal imports from Brazil on account of foot-and-mouth disease found on 11 small cattle herds in Mato Grosso do Sul this month. Indonesia also banned imports of Brazilian agriculture equipment, like tractors, and beef. Brazil's Trade Ministry only lists the top 100 items exported to trading partners and beef doesn't make the list of exports to Indonesia.

In a press statement from the Agriculture Ministry, sanitary official Odilson Ribeiro, said the embargo affects roughly US$100 million annually in soy meal exports to Indonesia, nearly a third of the roughly US$300 million worth of all products Brazilian companies ship to Indonesia each year.

Ribeiro said that FMD is not transferable to soymeal because "soy is processed at over 100 degrees Celsius and the FMD virus cannot tolerate more than 50 degrees."

The FMD virus is transmitted easily between infected herds of cattle, sheep and hogs through contact with saliva, urine, faeces and milk from infected animals. The disease can be passed through birds or people and automobiles that have come in close contact with sick animals. The virus doesn't survive in cooked meat.