November 22, 2007

Argentine government says EU lifts ban on Corrientes beef
 

The European Union has lifted restrictions on beef imports from Argentina's Corrientes province that had been blocked following an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the area early last year, Argentina's national agricultural health service, Senasa, reported Wednesday (November 21, 2007).

In February 2006, Argentina suffered an outbreak of the disease in the north of Corrientes Province that led many countries to temporarily block Argentine beef imports.

In March, the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, issued an opinion letter indicating that Argentina is free of foot-and-mouth disease (with vaccination) except for a 15-kilometer strip in the north of the country.

Foot and mouth is an infectious virus affecting cattle, pigs and other animals with cloven hoofs. Although rarely fatal, it generally causes serious weight loss in affected livestock, greatly increasing production costs.

Many animals carry the effects of the disease for the rest of their lives through low weights or low milk production, even though they have recovered from the virus.