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CP International, Agriculture, Food, Business, Politics, Health HED IS 141 CHARACTERS Canada Stops Susceptible Animal Imports From UK After Foot and Mouth Outbreak

Posted on: Saturday, 4 August 2007, 18:17 CDT

By ANDY BLATCHFORD

MONTREAL (CP) - Canada swiftly blocked entry of susceptible livestock and livestock products from the United Kingdom on Saturday, after foot-and-mouth disease was detected on an English farm.

Earlier in the day, UK officials banned the export of all animals with cloven hooves, including cows, sheep and pigs. The ban also covers carcasses, meat and milk.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wasn't taking any chances, and stopped issuing import permits to the UK.

"Because you want to be cautious with this disease, usually people take measures at both ends," said Debbie Barr, a veterinarian with the agency.

"Due to the severity of that disease and the severity of the economic impact for that disease to enter Canada, we've decided to temporarily not bring in susceptible animals."

The agency says Canada is currently free of the contagious viral disease, which causes blisters on the mouths, teats and legs of affected animals.

Barr said cows, goats and sheep were already ineligible for export from the UK, but Canada has received pig shipments.

However, she said no permits for pigs have been issued in the last three months.

"We're confident that we don't have any in here at the moment," Barr said of disease-carrying swine.

Shipments of bovine semen and embryos are the only commodities of potential concern that recently entered Canada.

She said one delivery in particular is being investigated, though it did not originate from the area where the disease was discovered.

Risk of exposure via semen shipments is low because animals in UK collection centres are kept for at least 30 days prior to collection, she said.

Canada's door was previously open to cooked and sealed meat products from the UK.

"We're investigating that - it's a fairly big job to trace all those products," Barr said.

In rare cases, humans in close contact with an animal infected with foot-and-mouth disease can develop rashes, but it is not considered dangerous.

Barr said the disease can cause fever, depression and loss of appetite in animals.

Meanwhile, Agricultural Minister Chuck Strahl said he's encouraged by rapid response in the UK and Canada.

The federal government "is acting quickly and taking all necessary steps to safeguard the health of our animals," Strahl said in a statement released Saturday.

"The protection of Canadian livestock and related industry sectors is a top priority for us."

British authorities revealed Friday that cattle on a southern England farm have been infected.

The United States and Japan immediately banned pigs and pig products in response to the outbreak.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown vowed to work "night and day" to avoid a repeat of a 2001 outbreak, when millions of dead animals were burned on pyres, swaths of the countryside were closed, rural tourism was badly hurt and British meat was shut out of international markets.

It was months before Britain was declared free of the disease, and even longer before British exports were allowed to resume.

Source: Canadian Press

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