FOOT-AND-MOUTH LEADS USDA TO BAN EURO MEAT

MARTIN SCHNEIDER

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week said it had imposed a ban on the import of all animals and animal products from the European Union as a safety precaution against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

The announcement came shortly after a confirmed case of foot-and-mouth disease was reported in France. Previously, confirmed cases had been confined to the northwestern regions of the U.K., including one isolated case in Northern Ireland.

"Basically, the ban covers all live animals, but we're focusing on beef, sheep and pork, especially pork products," said Anna Cherri, spokeswoman for the USDA.

In addition to the import ban, the USDA is also stepping up security at airports and other ports of entry into the country.

Travelers are prohibited from carrying any animals or animal products into the country, and possible quarantines will be put into effect.

The USDA also said it is sending a team of 40 experts to Europe to monitor the containment efforts there. Also, the USDA is instituting a public information campaign to teach Americans how to prevent the possible spread of the disease.

Though the ban is severe and "across the board," according Cherri, there should be little or no effects felt at the retail level.

"The products being banned are mostly high-end specialty products," she told SN. "Meat is not going to be disappearing from the shelves. We eat our own meat first in this country."

A spokesman from the American Meat Institute, Arlington, Va., also said the United States does not import a large amount of meat, and so it does not seem likely retailers will be hurt by the ban.

Though economically devastating for some small farmers and businesses in the U.K., the ban should last only a few weeks, Cherri said.

Cherri also noted that meat products that arrived in this country after Feb. 21, when the outbreaks were first reported, have gone through the safeguards already.

"We are not taking any products of the shelves," Cherri said.

The disease, which is extremely harmful to livestock although it does not affect humans, has not been seen in the U.S. since 1929.