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Brazil's Agriculture Ministry confirmed this week another outbreak of foot and mouth disease, two months after an initial outbreak led dozens of countries to ban Brazilian beef and pork imports.
The latest outbreak was reported in the state of Paraná, 450 kilometers west of São Paulo, admitted Agnes Melo, spokesperson for the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry. The origin of the FAM cases reported is believed to be linked to the October 10 Mato Grosso do Sul reported outbreak and possible cattle purchases before that date. Brazilian officials admitted the existence of 28 outbreaks during the last two months in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which has a common border with Paraguay. The São Sebastião de Amoreira farm, in Paraná, with 2,212 head of cattle has been in quarantine since last October when sanitary authorities began blood testing in the area, said the Agriculture Ministry spokesperson. "All the cattle in the farm will be sacrificed to prevent any possible contagion," However sanitary authorities admitted that another ten towns and cities from northern Paraná, which purchased cattle from Mato Grosso do Sul, are also under quarantine until the final results of the testing are double checked. When the Mato Grosso do Sul outbreak occurred, over 50 countries banned Brazilian imports which has recently become the world's leading exporter. Brazilian trade authorities had forecasted beef exports of US$ 3 billion in 2005, but the figure is now down to US$ 2.8 billion. This article appeared originally in Mercopress - www.mercopress.com.
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