AUTHORITIES in Brazil are claiming that an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
that threatens its multibillion dollar cattle industry may have been started
deliberately.
Brazil, which has the world鈥檚 largest commercial beef herd, is trying to
eradicate FMD so it can boost exports to North America and Japan.
The southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, the scene of the current outbreak,
had been free of the disease since 1994. But when 28 animals developed FMD there
in August, agriculture minister Marcus Pratini de Moraes announced that he 鈥渄oes
not rule out鈥riminals inoculating the animals in that area鈥�.
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Regional officials planned emergency control measures with the Pan American
Health Organization in Uruguay last week.
Suspicion centres on Paraguay as the source of infection. And smuggling
rather than sabotage could be to blame, although authorities insist the
country is free of FMD. But both Argentina and Brazil closed their borders to
Paraguayan beef and cattle in August after unofficial reports of FMD.