The nation's leading cattle producer organization has again contacted key government agency trade, animal health, and food safety officials to express concern about countries wanting to export meat into the U.S.

Wythe Willey, president of NCBA sent a letter to the USDA asking for a fact finding trip with appropriate federal and state government officials, as well as U.S. beef industry leadership, to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. This trip would examine systems of disease eradication and border controls to prevent the reinfestation and spread of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).

According to Willey, several South American countries are at various stages of requesting and recertifying their FMD-free status and eligibility to export fresh and frozen beef to the U.S. Paraguay, in particular, is a major concern, Willey says, because it was apparently the reservoir of FMD infection that led to the last outbreaks of FMD in Brazil and Argentina and shares common borders with those countries.

On July 17, NCBA submitted comments to the Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) objecting to proposed changes in regulations regarding the verification of cooking requirements for products from countries where FMD, Rinderpest and other diseases exist.

In Willey's letter, he wrote, "We have worked tirelessly to ensure that our herd health is maintained with regards to FMD, BSE and other foreign animal diseases and have contributed to efforts to assist our North American trading partners in eradicating or preventing introduction of these diseases from within their borders as well." He pointed out that FMD has been eradicated from North America, including all Central American countries, with a 50-mile wide animal-free zone maintained at the southern tip of Panama.

Last year, Argentina and Uruguay lost their FMD-free status and their ability to ship fresh, chilled and frozen product to the United States. Willey pointed out that Argentine officials were "less than forthcoming about the FMD outbreaks and in fact did not report the FMD reoccurrences until nearly three months after they occurred." Consequently, "our producers must be reassured that the proper protections are in place so that our herd health is not jeopardized."

"If reintroduced into Central or North America, FMD could have a devastating effect on livestock producers, as was demonstrated when FMD outbreaks occurred in Europe last year," Willey said. ©