Latest news with #footandmouthdisease
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Brazil declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination
Brazilian companies exported beef worth nearly US$13 billion last year. (AFP pic) SAO PAULO : The World Organization for Animal Health has recognised Brazil, the world's leading beef exporter, as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, a Brazilian official and a spokesperson for the intergovernmental body said. Brazilian lobbies representing some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers, including JBS, Minerva and Marfrig, said the development was historic, as it can help Brazil to win new markets. 'The new status will be announced on June 6 at a formal ceremony after a meeting between President Lula and WOAH director general Emmanuelle Soubeyran,' Brazil's chief veterinary officer Marcelo Mota told Reuters on the last day of a WOAH conference in Paris. Last year, Brazilian companies exported beef worth nearly US$13 billion to countries including China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, which has increased imports from Brazil because of a scarcity of cattle for slaughter. The change in status can be used as a 'strategic asset' in talks to open markets with strict standards, such as Japan, Brazilian beef lobby Abiec said in a statement. It added the Philippines and Indonesia have expressed interest in importing beef offal based on the health status. 'The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved,' Abiec said, alluding to maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions. The long-sought change had been anticipated by Brazilian authorities, including agriculture minister Carlos Favaro. In May 2024, when Brazil announced the end of the vaccination cycle against foot-and-mouth disease, Favaro said it moved Brazil 'to the next level of the world's health elite'. At the time, Brazil's goal of being free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination by 2026 was brought forward to 2025, the ministry said. The Brazilian agriculture ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Brazil declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, says Abrafrigo
The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has recognised Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Brazilian beef lobby Abrafrigo said in a statement on Thursday. Brazil is the world's top beef exporter and the certificate could contribute to opening new markets. This is the first time that the country has achieved this level of excellence in its sanitary controls, according to Abrafrigo. The lobby, which represents some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers such as Marfrig, said the recognition was a "historic moment for the beef agro-industrial chain." "The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved, with the aim of maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions and increasingly strengthening the country's role as a major producer and supplier of animal-origin food for Brazil and the world," it added.
Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil declared free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, says Abrafrigo
SAO PAULO, May 29 (Reuters) - The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has recognized Brazil as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination, Brazilian beef lobby Abrafrigo said in a statement on Thursday. Brazil is the world's top beef exporter and the certificate could contribute to opening new markets. This is the first time that the country has achieved this level of excellence in its sanitary controls, according to Abrafrigo. The lobby, which represents some of the largest Brazilian meatpackers such as Marfrig ( opens new tab, said the recognition was a "historic moment for the beef agro-industrial chain." "The new status also brings new challenges and responsibilities for all actors involved, with the aim of maintaining the herd in adequate sanitary conditions and increasingly strengthening the country's role as a major producer and supplier of animal-origin food for Brazil and the world," it added. The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
ABC News
5 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Composting cattle trial prepares industry for foot-and-mouth disease
On a research farm in north-east Victoria, a trial is underway to prepare the country for an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). A series of neat piles of soil with thermometers stuck in the side are formed into composting windrows, containing 70 cattle carcasses buried beneath. The cows, which died from toxic weed poisoning, are being used in the trial to establish whether the infected carcasses can be safely decontaminated underground to create a compost by-product for commercial use. "For a couple years we've been preparing for an emergency animal disease, like foot-and-mouth disease, but more recently avian influenza," Agriculture Victoria's emergency animal disease waste disposal manager, Bronwyn Green, said. "We want to prove how composting could work in a large outbreak with a range of animals, and hopefully get a good product that can be put back to land." Six different methods of composting have been trialled on the property at Rutherglen. They have used green waste, mulch, hay, straw, and different volumes of water. "Compost is a great way to get rid of weeds and seeds," Ms Green said. "Done properly ... temperatures are reached and those weeds are destroyed." She said it took about four months for the compost to kill any of the diseases found in the carcasses. "In the case of foot and mouth … we've already hit [the] temperature that will kill that disease in a week or two," she said. "Some diseases you can't compost your way out of, but avian influenza and foot and mouth absolutely can. "You can end up with a product that can be reused rather than put in landfill which has potential impacts to ground water and the environment." The cattle composting windrows have been set up next to covered burial pits that hold chickens culled during Victoria's H7N8 avian influenza outbreak in Euroa earlier this year. Ms Green said they had been a successful way to clean up infected material. "When composting the chickens, we keep a very close eye on the temperatures, and the burial pits are covered over and capped with clay," she said. "Then we monitor the environment for another 12 months to make sure there's no impact to the environment." Australia is the only continent free from the H5 strain of bird flu, which humans can catch. Ms Green said Agriculture Victoria was still preparing for the potential outbreak in Australia. "We've got more funding to keep going with our preparations, especially with the increased risk of avian influenza around the world," she said. Foot-and-mouth disease affects cattle, sheep, pigs, deer and buffalo. Australia is free of the highly contagious disease, but it continues to be a risk as it is present in neighbouring Indonesia. If it were to enter the country, industry group Cattle Australia said it could cost the nation's economy up to $80 billion over 10 years and cause significant disruptions to the food supply chain. "Government and industry investment in research and development is an essential part of improving our preparedness and minimising the potential impact on our industry," chief executive Chris Parker said. Dr Parker said he hoped Australia would not have to deal with an outbreak. "Prevention is the best form of cure and by exercising vigilance, we can keep FMD out of Australia," he said. Ms Green said composting cattle in the event of a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak would be a simple way for farmers to manage the waste. "This work is really important to ensure we are ready and prepared as much as we can be," Ms Green said. She said similar trials had been undertaken in South Australia and New South Wales with sheep and pigs.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Officials warn it's 'a matter of time' before highly contagious virus spreads through the UK
Health officials have warned that a highly contagious virus will inevitably return to the UK if the government does not act quickly to stop it. Foot-and-mouth disease, an infectious virus that causes blisters to form inside the mouths and under the hooves of animals, was eradicated from the UK in 2007. The painful condition can cause lameness and problems feeding in animals. It is not transmissible to humans, but any products of animal origin—such as meat and dairy—could potentially be contaminated. Cases have been reported of people becoming infected with the condition after drinking raw milk from contaminated cows, although it is thought to be incredibly rare. The warning comes as outbreaks of the disease have been reported across Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, prompting border closures and the culling of thousands of animals. In the current outbreak, the virus was first detected on a Hungarian cattle farm in early March. Within two weeks, it had spread to three farms in neighbouring Slovakia - marking the first outbreak in both countries for more than 50 years. Now, a councillor responsible for environment at the Port of Dover has said the authority is 'barely scratching the surface' when it comes to suitable checks at the Kent port. Jamie Pout, of Dover District Council, added that it was 'a matter of time' until foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever arrived in the country. The UK suffered major outbreaks of the disease in 2001 and 2007, leading to millions of pigs, cattle and sheep being slaughtered across the country and costing both the public and private sector billions. The disease can have a devastating financial and emotional impact on affected farmers, who face production losses like reduced milk yields and culling their livestock. But it can also lead to wider economic impacts with the loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries. All commercial imports of livestock—such as cattle, pigs, sheep and deer, as well as meat and dairy products from the affected countries —are currently banned from entering the UK. Health certificates, which approve import requirements for animals, fresh meat and animal products, are also no longer being issued to those susceptible to the disease. And in April, the British Government placed a ban on 'bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain'. Britons must refrain from bringing dairy products from certain animals back to the country if they are returning from the EU, EFTA States, the Faroe Islands or Greenland. But Labour MP Josh Newbury, who sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), said last week that he saw health inspections at the port being done under 'rusty canopies, with nesting pigeons [in buildings] that had no walls'. Facilities had 'no ability to wash down' and lacked personal protection equipment other than gloves, he added. The government lifted restrictions on livestock from Germany last week, declaring the country disease free. A case of foot-and-mouth disease was detected near Berlin in January—the first in Germany for over three decades—prompting swift bans and culling. But after review, the UK health authorities say they're now satisfied that Germany has contained the outbreak. In response to allegations from the border, the government has said it will do 'whatever it takes' to protect British farmers from disease. It added it had significantly increased seizures of illegal meat products, restricted animal products from EU countries with outbreaks and banned personal meat and dairy imports for EU travellers. It also said it was investing more than £200 million in the UK's main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease.
