MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU lifts north Argentina FAM ban

Experts from the European Union supported ending bovine meat imports restrictions from four Argentine northern provinces which have been effective since early 2003 to avoid the spread of foot and mouth disease.

The EU Food Chain Standing Committee agreed to lift the ban because there have been no outbreaks of FAM in Argentina during the last twelve months and after having satisfactorily checked the areas involved several times during 2004.

"No new cases of FAM have been reported and inspection groups during 2004 have shown a normalized situation", said an official release from the Committee.

However the ban will remain in a 25 kilometres "tampon" area next to the Paraguay and Bolivia common border, with the purpose of impeding the access of FAM from these countries.

The proposal still has to be approved by the European Commission.

In November 2003 EU banned the import of beef from the four Argentine northern provinces following several outbreaks in Salta next to Bolivia but continued to accept beef from the rest of the country.

Last November, Argentina requested the ban to be lifted since no further cases had been reported in the last twelve months.

The lifting of the ban means sales of boneless and matured beef from the four provinces to the EU can be resumed.