031027 Confined Cattle Don't Have Foot-And-Mouth

Washington - Preliminary tests indicate cattle quarantined because they had blisters in their mouths are not sick with foot-and-mouth disease, the Agriculture Department says.

Peter Fernandez, associate administrator for the department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, made the announcement a day after U.S. officials quarantined the herd of 40 cows because of the blisters.

Fernandez said scientists at the department's laboratory in Plum Island, NY, were still checking for other diseases, but the cattle "are not sick with any foreign animal disease that would stop trade."

Foot-and-mouth is a contagious illness that affects cloven-hoofed animals such as pigs and cattle, causing lesions, sores and fever. It is deadly for livestock, but harmless for humans.

An outbreak in Britain two years ago affected 2,000 farms. Since then, however, the country has been declared free of the disease.

The United States is checking for other diseases because blisters are a symptom associated with several different illnesses. A department spokeswoman said final results likely will be released on Monday.

Mexican officials did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on Friday.

The incident adds tension to an already strained relationship between the United States and Mexico.

The Mexican government this year imposed tariffs on U.S. beef after Mexican farmers complained that there was a surge in American beef imports. U.S. cattlemen object to the claims.

The United States shipped 106,000 head of cattle to Mexico last year. Mexico was the No. 1 buyer of U.S. beef last year, importing 384,900 tons.

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