010344 USA Bans All European Union Meat Imports

Washington - The United States moved swiftly to ban all imports of live animals and meat products from the European Union following an outbreak of the economically devastating foot-and-mouth disease in France.

The United States said it would also quarantine and inspect all EU meat products shipped to the country since Feb. 21.

“All EU products are put on hold,” USDA spokesman Kevin Herglotz said. “Any shipment en route to the United States since around Feb. 21 would be held for inspection.”

The highly contagious disease jumped from Britain into France, despite farm travel restrictions, the scrubbing of visitors' shoes, and other extraordinary precautions taken by British officials to contain the virus.

France reported its first case of foot-and-mouth disease since 1981 in a herd of 114 cattle at a farm in the northwest region of the country.

The disease spreads like wildfire throughout pigs, cattle, sheep and goats, causing huge financial losses for farmers. The virus, which rarely endangers humans, is easily spread on clothing, on car tires and by the wind.

The outbreak in Britain has led to the slaughter of nearly 120,000 cattle, sheep and pigs, and has forced the cancellation of sporting events and brought a need for highway checkpoints in affected areas.

After discovering a French herd was infected, European Union veterinary experts immediately banned exports of French livestock susceptible to foot-and-mouth. The EU also halted shipments of milk, meat and meat products from the French region hit by the disease. Portugal, Norway and Spain also banned French livestock imports.

The U.S. government's action was a sign of heightened concern about the unfolding foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, but the ban on EU meat imports will have little real impact on American consumers.

The United States has not imported any cattle or beef products from France since 1997 because of concerns about the unrelated mad cow disease.

The ban will apply mostly to pork imports. U.S. buyers purchased 265 tons of French pork products in 1999, according to the USDA.

Heightened Alert At U.S. Borders

The confirmed foot-and-mouth outbreak in France and suspected cases in Italy have heightened concerns in the United States that the highly contagious disease could infiltrate American borders.

The United States has not had an outbreak of the disease since 1929.

With Paris, London, Rome and other European countries a popular destination for American travelers, USDA said it placed its luggage-sniffing Beagle Brigade and some 1,800 animal health inspectors on “heightened alert” at all major U.S. airports and other ports of entry. The government also assigned an extra 100 inspectors to help at key ports.

Passengers arriving in the United States must answer a U.S. Customs questionnaire that asks whether they visited a farm and if they are bringing back meat or food. Visitors are subject to further checks, depending on their answers.

If a passenger is suspected of carrying the virus, USDA officials can disinfect the traveler's shoes, clothing and other goods.

Travelers will be fined up to $1,000 if they smuggle illegal food products into the country.

Industry Watches Gov’t Actions

While most U.S. livestock and farm groups expressed confidence that the USDA had taken strong enough measures, one influential lawmaker has asked the government to do more.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, called last week for a moratorium on all U.S. imports of live cattle, beef, sheep and hogs. Daschle said such a ban should not be lifted until the Bush administration “clarifies and strengthens” the standards used to certify that foreign herds are disease-free and takes a closer look at whether the USDA has enough funding to control diseases.

The National Cattlemen's Beef Association said it was confident that the USDA had taken all possible precautions to protect American farm animals.

“We have very stringent standards,” said Gary Weber, director of regulator affairs for the beef group. “They should rest assure that the U.S. government is doing an excellent job in protecting farmers.”

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said the USDA was doing all it could to prevent an outbreak. “I don't think we need anything tightened up,” he said.

In Alabama, state officials maintained a quarantine on a shipment of tractors that had been displayed at a farm trade show in Britain. Although the USDA scrubbed the farm equipment and said it posed no risk, state officials said they would keep the tractors in quarantine at a Mobile port pending their own investigation.

In December, the USDA expanded its regulations to ban all rendered animal protein products, regardless of species, from Europe because of mad cow concerns.

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