010421 USA Staffing Up to Stop Animal Disease Overseas

Washington - The United States, already on alert against foot-and-mouth disease, will strengthen its front line of defense against damaging foreign diseases by hiring 350 more port inspectors, the Bush administration said on Monday.

The hirings, an 11% increase in staff for animal quarantine inspection services, were on top of plans to spend more on pest and disease exclusion this year and next. Cost of the new inspectors would be paid by an existing $3 “ticket tax” on travelers arriving in the country.

Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe underlined the need for vigilance in the face of ever-growing international trade and travel, Agriculture Department officials said.

“I think it's important to recognize the situation in the U.K. is not yet under control,” Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said in announcing the initiative. Hirings will begin this year and continue into fiscal 2002, which begins Oct. 1.

“What we're doing is making sure we've got the resources available ... at ports of entry and take every precaution that we can to ensure we do not get this damaging disease in this country.”

Plans called for hiring 127 inspectors, 27 dog teams, 20 veterinarians and 173 temporary inspectors this year. In fiscal 2002, eight more dog teams would be hired and 80 of the temporary inspectors would become permanent employees.

To keep foot-and-mouth disease from infecting U.S. herds, the government has stepped up inspections at international airports to prevent European visitors from carrying the virus into the country.

Washington also has banned imports of raw meat products, live animals, used farm equipment and some dairy products from Europe.

Although the foot-and-mouth virus rarely threatens humans, it cripples pigs, cattle, sheep and goats for months and sharply reduces milk and meat production.

In spelling out President Bush's budget plans for fiscal 2002, the White House asked for $393 million for pest and disease exclusion, up 12% from this year's $352 million, itself a 24% increase from the preceding year.

Inspections of travelers and cargo “play a key role in protecting the U.S. livestock sector from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) and foot-and-mouth disease,” the administration said. Fees are charged on international passengers, aircraft, ships, rail cars and trucks.

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy destroys the brains of cattle. It can cause a fatal human version of the disease. There have been no cases of BSE in the United States.

Budget documents said the Agricultural Research Service “will develop one or more BSE tests that will be ready for field evaluation in 2002.” The ultimate goal was a method of rapid detection of BSE in live animals.

In addition, the Food and Drug Administration, which sets and polices animal feed regulations aimed at preventing any outbreak of mad cow, would get a 10% funding boost under the Bush plan, which specifically mentions FDA's mad cow role.

Overall, Agriculture Department spending would drop by $6.3 billion, to $63.25 billion, in fiscal 2002 because there was no agreement on a bailout for farmers facing low grain prices for a fourth year in a row.

Farm groups say $9 billion, about the same as last year, will be needed. The Senate, as part of its annual nonbinding budget resolution, voted last week to allow $5 billion for a farm rescue. The House has voted to let agriculture tap a $500 billion contingency fund.

The White House also proposed $716 million for meat inspection, an increase of $21 million. About 7,600 inspectors oversee 6,000 U.S. meatpacking and processing plants to ensure meat is safe.

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