January 29, 2008

Canada releases US$656,000 to eradicate foot and mouth disease

The Canadian government committed CAD660,000 (US$656,000) over the next two years to assist governments in South America in eradicating foot and mouth disease (FMD).

Ted Menzies, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Finance, confirmed the fund allocation during a meeting with senior Argentinean agriculture officials last week.

Minister for agriculture, Gerry Ritz added that Canada has state-of-the-art scientific expertise and technologies for FMD management that can benefit other countries.

Canadian officials said that by sharing these capacities, they are also enhancing their foreign animal disease management strategies.

The country will contribute laboratory equipment and training in FMD diagnostic technologies and computer simulation modelling to assess, predict and manage FMD outbreaks.