Unless you are a Farm Side reader you probably didn't know how many times I have written about the USDA's folly in opening the USA to imports of fresh beef from Brazil. There have been a good many columns on the subject, including one last week. Brazil is an endemic Foot and Mouth Disease country. America had its last case during the 1920s, reportedly at a farm across the river from us, the house upon which was built by the same people as constructed this one, and looked almost like our house as well. They were like twins to the north and south of the river...except that the cows there died and were burned and buried on that farm..... The house burned too a few years ago and little is left except a sharp curve in the road and even sharper memories in a few minds here and there. Foot and Mouth Disease is literally more contagious than the common cold. It can be spread great distances on water, air, by animals passing from farm to farm, and by products such as beef. Even laboratories studying the disease have been blamed for letting it loose on innocent animals. It is commonly recommended that farmers who visit countries where the disease is endemic quarantine themselves from their own livestock for a period after they return. (How I wish I had my old computer with all the links to a couple of decades of research stories...the stuff is getting hard to find now, most links return 404 not found messages.....) Great Britain has seen some horrific outbreaks in recent years, which devastated that nation's farm economy and resulted in the culling of 10 MILLION hoofed stock. Imagine what an outbreak would do in this country. The cost of quarantines. The death of millions upon millions of cows, sheep, goats etc. With our wild population of hoofed animals, consider the cost and death toll of controlling an outbreak that affected them. We stink at getting rid of feral hogs. What if they got Foot and Mouth? There are many columns worth of reasons why the change in our import rules was a lousy idea. Rampant corruption in Brazil. Adulterated meat. A lack of reciprocity in import/export balance....we would take in millions of bucks worth of their beef, while they bought almost none of ours. Even claims of slavery. However, the potential for Foot and Mouth disease is enough all on its own to make the opening of trade to fresh beef a fool's errand. One big mistake just waiting for disaster to happen. And it almost did. Late yesterday evening the USDAabruptly halted the program and closed our borders to Brazilian beef. "A statement from the Brazilian Association of Beef Industry Exports says the self-suspension happened "after the detection of [bovine] reactions to the vaccine for foot-and-mouth disease, that in some cases can provoke internal, and not externally visible abscesses."...from Drovers Magazine. I applaud the USDA for taking action in light of the number of code infractions found in meat from Brazil by FSIS inspections. However, it shouldn't have been a problem in the first place and I fear the suspension won't last long. Or at least not long enough.
As was expected under USDA changes, Brazil can now send fresh beef to the United States, a move that will probably open other markets, such as Japan, to them. Besides concerns about Foot and Mouth disease, which is endemic in that nation, USDA has admitted that at least in the short term, there is little likelihood of reciprocity in markets, as Brazil dumps an expected NINE_HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS worth of beef on our markets. In return we get....$900 million worth of their meat in competition with our own farmers and ranchers, a chance to share a devastating disease........and not much else. Hooray..... Do you miss COOL yet?
You know you just can't wait to find out what's happening in Ag today. The governor's new task force USDA addds yogurt to WIC Proposed rule on importing beef from Brazil Go comment on the rule here Seriously, read about this issue and then take the time to comment. I did. The USDA has extended the public comment period and this is a golden opportunity to make your feelings known on a potentially devastating decision. Brazil is an endemic Foot and Mouth disease country. Should we allow uncooked meat from that nation to be imported here, potential economic damage could be staggering and possibly permanent. Just as a refresher, Foot and Mouth can spread on the wind, wild animals can carry it from farm to farm, as can tires, clothing, and it can even be carried in the nasal passages of people who travel from an infected farm. imagine if the animals in a petting zoo were infected. We don't need Brazil's beef bad enough to let this rule be finalized. More on FMD
What puzzles me is why it took so long for legislators and quite a lot of the ag media to get all over this. England is a pretty small country on a not so large island. They probably had no choice but to place their research labs among farms and cattle.
Didn't work outso well for them. We already have a lab dedicated to the study of infectious animal disease.....on an island, in the ocean, far away from cows. So of course, the powers that be want to dump infectious material right into the heart of Kansas cattle company. What are they thinking?
One is a Chuck Jolley column on the popularity of the National Animal Identification system....or the overwhelming lack of it...
The second discusses the advisability of plopping the nation's animal disease research lab (think foot and mouth disease) down in the middle of Kansas cow country.
****be sure to click the link at the very end of Jolley's column about USDA and the word "no".
I have been writing in the Farm Side about this since the short list of possible sites was first announced and they were all inland. So have some other bloggers and a few news folks. I still can't believe that our trusty government wants to put a lab exploring deadly and highly infectious cattle diseases right in the middle of cattle country. Can anybody say disaster looking for (and finding) a place to happen?
This story brings up what I said below about Plum Island vs inland labs for this highly contagious material. Interesting that it is running the same day as the Farm Side on that topic.
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