MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Ten states of Brazil to be declared free of FAM with vaccine

The Animal Health Organization, OIE, with seat in Paris is expected to declare ten states of Brazil including the Federal District of Brasilia free of foot and mouth disease with vaccination.

The decision was communicated this week to Agriculture minister Reinhold Stephanes by the Brazilian delegation participating in the 76th General assembly of OIE. The states involved are Bahia, Espírito Santo, Goiás, Matto Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins and the Federal District. Inacio Kroetz, who heads the Brazilian delegation to the OIE meeting, said further information on the state of Matto Grosso do Sul was requested at OIE, which has been delivered. This is interpreted as a positive signal since an assessment is scheduled for next July by OIE experts and could mean Matto Grosso do Sul could finally be also included in the list free of the FAM virus with vaccination. "The main result of this coming announcement from OIE will be the reopening of markets for Brazilian beef, and this should help to boost prices of livestock" said minister Stephanes. Lucaino Vaccari, president of the Matto Grosso do Sul Livestock breeders said that "OIE approval will leave no doubts about the sanitary condition of our herds and this will force the European Union to review its decision regarding the ban on Brazilian beef". Forced by strong cattle breeders lobbies from Ireland and UK, the EC is demanding strict traceability conditions on Brazilian livestock and beef. In related news and after years of diplomatic wrangling, South Korea announced Thursday that it will start inspecting US beef imports. The move will lead to a full resumption of US beef imports for the first time in four years. A case of mad cow disease in Washington state prompted South Korea to close its doors to imports. Some eight months ago SK suspended quarantine inspections after fragments of banned vertebral bones were found in beef shipments from the US. An official notice by the South Korean Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries minister on resumption of US beef imports will take effect the moment it is published in the government gazette. "New beef import terms will be published in the official gazette two or three days later" said Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chung Woon-chun.