Several countries ban Brazilian beef as mad cow disease investigation progresses
The USDA says the confirmed case of mad cow disease found in Brazil last month is “atypical”.
The ministry said it would work to quickly lift the beef export bans enacted by several Asian countries.
Suspension of exports poses a significant risk to Brazil’s main livestock sector, the world’s largest livestock sector.
In a statement, the Ministry of Agriculture noted that an analysis conducted by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) identified an unusual case of mad cow disease.
The ministry said it was planning virtual meetings with Chinese officials to discuss resuming beef exports.
A case of mad cow disease, scientifically known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was discovered in a 9-year-old bull in the northern state of Para.
The discovery was made public on February 20, Automatically banned the sale of Brazilian beef to China.
Earlier, three Asian markets – Thailand, Iran and Jordan – temporarily banned beef imports from all of Brazil.
Russian authorities have also suspended imports of Brazilian beef, but only from the state of Para, according to an earlier statement by the ministry.
Para has only one butcher factory that is licensed to sell beef to Russia.
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock stressed that it aims to resume beef exports “as soon as possible”.
Infected animals have already been culled. Officials explain that atypical cases of mad cow disease can occur naturally in cattle populations and that such infections do not depend on ingestion of feed contaminated with unusual pathogens known as prions. Did.
However, BSE is considered more serious as it involves contamination with the so-called prion protein and can lead to catastrophic trade embargoes.
– Reuters
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/485215/several-countries-ban-brazilian-beef-as-mad-cow-probe-goes-on Several countries ban Brazilian beef as mad cow disease investigation progresses