Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at a farm in Japan

[PORKER]

Japan confirms first F.M.D. outbreak in decade

MeatPoultry.com, April 26, 2010
by Bryan Salvage

TOKYO, JAPAN –An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at a farm in the southern Japan prefecture of Miyazaki, which is the first outbreak since 2000 in this nation that is famous for premium beef, has been confirmed by the National Institute of Animal Health, according to Bloomberg.

Japan reported three more suspected cases at nearby farms since finding the first suspected case. As one of the most contagious animal diseases, this virus can lead to high mortality rates in young animals, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (O.I.E.). However, consuming infected meat doesn't harm humans.

"The outbreak may have little impact on the Japanese beef market, including demand," said Susumu Harada, senior director at the U.S. Meat Export Federation in Tokyo. Still, "exporters of meat and by-products may have difficulty as the country banned exports."

From April 2009 to February 2010, Japan exported 594 metric tons of beef and imported 432,613 tons. Vietnam, Hong Kong, the U.S. and Singapore are major export markets for Japan's premium beef.

Japan's last outbreak of the disease was in 2000, when the country slaughtered 740 head of cattle. In April 2000, an official said Japan's first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 92 years had been contained and caused little damage to the country's 500 billion yen ($4.8 billion) domestic beef industry

 

[Anonymous]

Foot and mouth rocks Asia Weekly Times Now - Australia April 30, 2010 AN OUTBREAK of foot and mouth disease in Japan and a further outbreak in South Korea have dealt a blow to the Asian livestock industry. The discoveries of FMD have heightened fears the disease is on the move. For the first time in a decade, China, Japan and Korea all have simultaneous outbreaks of FMD. Up to 50,000 animals have been destroyed in South Korea since January as the country tries to control the spread of the disease. The latest case, found in Chunju late last week, has already seen 12,600 livestock culled in a 3km radius of the affected farm and more animals are expected to be killed this week. It is the first case to be reported in the northwest of the country. The most recent cull adds to the 30,000 head destroyed at the start of the month, two-thirds of which were pigs. Meat and Livestock Australia regional manager in Korea Jim Lim said there was still no evidence that beef consumption had dropped. A briefing note prepared by Mr Lim's staff said there were media reports suggesting beef consumption had been affected, with consumers turning to seafood, but this had not been confirmed. "We have not heard that Australian beef consumption or sales have been affected," Mr Lim said. The Korean Government has asked farmers not to visithigh risk areas in China, Japan and Vietnam in a further attempt to stop the outbreak. Meanwhile, Japan has suspended all beef, pork and related byproduct exports last week after the FMD outbreak was discovered. At least 11 countries have had FMD outbreaks in the past 16 months alone with the disease endemic or established across four continents. In 2009, FMD outbreaks were reported in Angola, Botswana, China, Egypt, Nigeria, Palestine, South Africa, Vietnam and South Korea. So far this year, there have been outbreaks in the same countries as well as Japan and Nigeria. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported the outbreak on a cattle farm in Miyazaki, the southernmost of the four main islands of Japan. The last time Japan had an FMD outbreak was in 2000, in the same area. "The Government will take every measure to prevent the disease from spreading further," Japanese Agriculture minister Hirotaka Akamatsu said last week. According to MLA data, Japanese beef exports - primarily premium Wagyu beef - grew by 108 per cent over the last two years, to 565 tonnes in 2009, valued at $51 million, or an average of $91/kg. Japan's major export markets were Vietnam, Hong Kong and the US. weeklytimesnow.com.au

25 Groups Ask Congress to Pre-empt USDA's Rule to Lift FMD Restrictions for Brazil Source: R-CALF USA April 29, 2010 Billings, Mont. – Twenty-five farm, ranch, manufacturing, labor, and consumer groups sent a joint letter to 11 members of Congress this week to urge them to introduce and pass new legislation that would strengthen the United States' protections against the introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The 11 targeted congressional members included both House and Senate members who previously sponsored the Foot and Mouth Disease Prevention Act of 2009, a bill that would have prohibited the Agriculture Secretary from allowing imports of fresh or chilled beef or pork from Argentina unless the Secretary first certified to Congress that every region within Argentina was free of FMD without vaccination. "We respectfully request that you introduce new legislation similar to the 2009 Act that would expand the list of countries subject to the 2009 Act to include Brazil and any other country that has not been certified to Congress by the Secretary of Agriculture as a country in which every region within is free of FMD – without vaccination," the letter states. "We believe such legislative action is necessary to prevent USDA from creating a dangerous precedent that would unnecessarily expose the U.S. to a heightened risk for disease introduction." The group informed Congress that congressional action was needed to pre-empt the U.S. Department of Agriculture from implementing its April 16 proposed rule that would lift FMD restrictions for the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina and allow the importation of fresh and chilled beef and pork from that state, even while USDA considers all of Brazil to be a country affected with FMD. The group stated that it is imperative "that Congress take quick and decisive action by introducing legislation to prevent USDA from irresponsibly exposing U.S. livestock to an increased risk of FMD introduction from Brazil and from other FMD-affected countries." In support of their congressional request, the group members provided evidence to show that USDA's proposed FMD rule unequivocally demonstrates an unscientific bias in favor of Brazil. The letter explains the contradiction in the rule in which USDA refused to acknowledge an ongoing outbreak of FMD in Brazil in 2006, even though both Brazil and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) acknowledged that Brazil met the official standards for determining an FMD outbreak during that year. In addition, the group provides evidence to show that USDA has had a 100 percent failure rate during its previous efforts to lift FMD restrictions for specific regions within countries that were otherwise eligible to export beef to the U.S. and also affected with FMD. The groups said that USDA's previous, failed efforts to regionalize Uruguay and Argentina demonstrate that the "ideological concept of regionalization as a tool to facilitate trade before countries have completely eradicated pernicious diseases like FMD is fundamentally flawed, inherently risky, and incapable of preventing the introduction of diseases into the United States." Also, the group provides evidence of USDA's failure to anticipate widespread FMD outbreaks in the Republic of South Africa and South Korea to substantiate its assertion that USDA is incapable of accurately evaluating FMD risks in countries with histories of FMD outbreaks and incapable of accurately predicting when FMD outbreaks would recur in those countries. "Given the overwhelming failure of USDA's persistent efforts to lift essential FMD restrictions, the United States is indeed fortunate that USDA's actions have not already resulted in the introduction of FMD. . . The risk posed by USDA's ongoing actions is great, and the threat of FMD is very real," the group's letter concludes. National organizations that signed on to the letter include: the American Grassfed Association; the BueLingo Beef Cattle Society; Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA); International Texas Longhorn Association; Food & Water Watch; National Association of Farm Animal Welfare; National Farmers Organization (NFO); Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM); R-CALF USA; Texas Longhorn Marketing Alliance; and, the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC). State, regional and county organizations that signed on to the letter include: Cattle Producers of Washington; Citizens for Private Property Rights; Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association; Independent Beef Producers of North Dakota (I-BAND); Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska; Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming; Kansas Cattlemen's Association; Mississippi Livestock Markets Association; Missouri's Best Beef Co-Operative; Nevada Live Stock Association; Oregon Livestock Producers Association; Rocky Mountain Farmers Union; South Dakota Livestock Markets Association; and, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association. r-calfusa.com

 

[PORKER]

Fears grow as animal disease spreads in S.Korea
May 3 03:43 AM US/Eastern
South Korean health officials work on a farm in Chungju, 147 kilometres (90...
Foot-and-mouth disease affects cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep,...

South Korea stepped up major quarantine efforts Monday as a highly contagious animal disease threatened the centre of its livestock industry.
The agriculture ministry said more roadblocks and quarantine posts were set up after the foot-and-mouth outbreak hit a state livestock research institute at Cheongyang, 160 kilometres (96 miles) south of Seoul, on Saturday.

The Livestock and Veterinary Science Institute had raised 1,549 beef cattle and hogs for research and breeding. These were culled to contain the disease.

The outbreak there was the 10th since April 9 and was close to Seosan and Yesan counties which have major cattle farms.

Agriculture Minister Chang Tae-Pyong visited the institute Sunday and called for intensive efforts to contain the outbreak.

"All-out efforts must be made to stop it from spreading into the centre of our livestock industry," he said.

Foot-and-mouth disease affects cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, goats and deer. It is rarely transmitted to humans but spreads easily between animals.

Since the first outbreak was reported on an island west of Seoul, the disease has spread from there to North and South Chungcheong provinces. Quarantine officials helped by police and troops have culled some 49,000 animals.

Foot-and-mouth outbreaks in 2000 and 2002 cost South Korea an estimated 450 billion won, including compensation.

The government has paid about 55 billion won (49 million dollars) in compensation alone to farmers so far this year.

"Total costs are not available but this year's compensation will be a record high because our efforts have so far focused on the destruction of animals," a ministry official told AFP