MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Possible new outbreak of FAM in north Argentina

Argentine sanitary officials are checking into the possibility of a new outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the area where two weeks ago several thousands of cattle and hoofed animals were sacrificed.

The investigation follows the discovery of a single cow in the farm next to where the original FAM outbreak was detected in the province of Corrientes, close to the Paraguayan border, according to officials from Argentina's Agro-Food sanitary and health service, SENASA.

Officials are trying to determine if the single cow with FAM symptoms escaped from the farm where all the cattle was exposed to the sanitary rifle or if she belongs to another farm or herd. However SENASA personnel admitted that the rough geography and terrain of the area "does not help with the investigation".

The county with the farm where the FAM outbreak was located remains cordoned off and all cattle movement in the province is banned. Over 4.000 head of cattle where terminated in the San Juan farm.

At least nineteen countries have banned beef imports from Argentina as a consequence of the Corrientes FAM outbreak, while other have limited purchases to areas outside the province

Argentina is the world's third beef exporter and in 2005 shipped the equivalent or 1.4 billion US dollars. Argentine cattle farmers estimate losses from the FAM outbreak in the range of 500 to 700 million US dollars while the Argentine government is more optimistic about a quick reopening of foreign markets and estimates exports will shrink by 20%, approximately 280 million US dollars.

Meantime in Chile, local agriculture and livestock sanitary authorities, SAG, confirmed that the ban on Brazilian beef effective since last October when FAM outbreaks were reported in the states of Matto Grosso do Sul and Parana will remain.

Francisco Bahamondes, head of SAG indicated that Brazil "presents the same level of risk that when the ban was first imposed last October". Chilean importers were expecting authorities to allow the import of beef from other states not infected with FAM, but last week several more suspect cases were reported in the state of Parana, next to Argentina and Paraguay.

With bans on beef imports from Brazil and Argentina standing, Mr. Bahamonde admitted that the domestic price of meats in Chile has soared an average 15%, "but our decisions are technical scientific and don't take into account commercial considerations".