Argentina Reports 13
New Foot, Mouth Cases

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine officials say there have been 13 new foot-and-mouth outbreaks in this South American country.

There are already 55 areas in the country where foot-and-mouth disease has been reported.

The new outbreaks were registered in Buenos Aires, San Luis, Santa Fe and Cordoba provinces.

Another 38 regions have been classified as suspected outbreak areas by the National Food Safety and Quality Service.

Responding to the outbreaks, the Argentine government launched a massive vaccination program, sending about 28 million doses of vaccine to farmers.

In addition, authorities slapped a three-week ban on transportation of animals considered threatened by foot-and-mouth disease.

The food safety agency decided to refrain from slaughtering the animals in affected regions after determining this measure would be too costly for the country.

"This measure is not being used because there is no money to compensate for the animals," says Mario Raiteri, head of the Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives.

International inspectors certified Argentina as free of foot-and-mouth in May 2000, but government officials acknowledged new cases in February.

Sick animals, allegedly smuggled into Argentina from Paraguay, were reported in Argentina in August, but federal and provincial officials reportedly decided to ignore the news to avoid economic losses.

In the wake of the outbreak, countries around the world have halted importation of Argentine meat. Included are the United States, Canada, the European Union, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Singapore and Taiwan.

Meat production in Argentina accounts for roughly 50 million head of cattle and another 10 million sheep among its livestock and is an important sector of the country's economy.