December 15, 2005

Venezuela bans Brazilian meat imports on FMD concerns

Venezuela banned imports of beef and other meats from neighbouring Brazil on Wednesday because of growing concerns about FMD, Venezuela's government said.

The Venezuelan Agriculture Ministry announced products containing Brazilian cattle, sheep and pig would be prohibited.

"Given the sanitary risk that the outbreak of FMD in Brazil represents for the Venezuelan livestock industry, the government saw the necessity of prohibiting the importation of cattle," the ministry said in a statement.

The Brazilian government has confirmed that two states have FMD in their herds.

Unlike mad-cow disease, FMD is rarely spread to humans but it is highly contagious in animals.

Most of the beef consumed in this South American country is imported, much of it from Brazil and Argentina, despite government efforts to strengthen the domestic livestock and agriculture industries.