MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Uruguayan vet elected OIE vice president

The World Animal Health Organization seated in Paris, OIE, nominated Uruguay's delegate Dr. Carlos Correa as vice-president following an overwhelming 95% support from the 140 countries present at the annual meeting.

Uruguay is also positioned to preside over OIE in three years time, according to sources from the Uruguayan Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries ministry.

This year's OIE assembly was particularly positive for Uruguay's beef industry since the country was officially certified, together with Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, as the only four members in the world free of Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis, BSE, or more commonly knows as "mad cow".

Another four countries were designated "provisionally free" of BSE, Chile, Iceland, Paraguay and Singapore.

Furthermore OIE recognized Uruguay as free of foot and mouth disease where there's vaccination, which is a subtle step forward from last year's free of FAM with vaccination. This condition is shared with Taiwan and Paraguay.

A European Union proposal to change the categorization of countries free of BSE did not prosper.