guide on 14 Mar 2001 06:59:45 -0000 |
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[Nettime-bold] Europe alarmed by spread of virus-"" from cnn-guide |
Europe alarmed by spread of virus March 13, 2001 Web posted at: 2:41 PM EST (1941 GMT) PARIS, France -- Farmers across Europe are on high alert following the confirmation of the first case of foot-and-mouth disease on the mainland -- in France. As French officials revealed they were investigating another three suspected cases, the Italian Government announced the slaughter of a flock of sheep which showed signs of the virus. The European Union veterinary committee banned exports of cloven-hoofed livestock from France for two weeks and Germany and Belgium stepped up emergency measures to try to prevent the spread of the highly-contagious livestock disease. In London, British agriculture officials reported more outbreaks, saying the number of confirmed cases had risen to 200. European farmers had their worst fears confirmed on Tuesday when the French Ministry of Agriculture said two cows in the province of Mayenne, in the north-west, had tested positive for foot-and-mouth. The afflicted herd was close to a farm which had imported sheep from Britain and had been under surveillance. The ministry said about 20,000 sheep brought in from the UK shortly before the onset of the outbreak there had been distributed to 20 counties across France. Three suspected cases, involving sheep, are being investigated in the Seine-et-Marne area. Belgium responded by closing its borders to imports of cattle, sheep, pigs and goats from France. Germany warned tourists returning from France not to bring back any food, describing the situation as "very, very serious." The German authorities -- who have not experienced foot-and-mouth disease since 1988 --are checking whether any animals have recently been imported from the French area now known to be infected. The alert in Italy was sparked by the discovery of possible foot-and-mouth symptoms in sheep at a slaughterhouse in the central province of Pescara. Health officials said the animals were among nearly 400 imported from France. The entire flock was destroyed on Tuesday as a precaution. The results of tests carried out on the sheep are expected on Wednesday. Meeting in Brussels, the EU committee also halted exports of milk, meat and meat products from the Mayenne and Orne departments of northwest France where the case was detected. They drew some comfort from the fact that the affected farm in France was next to one which had imported animals from Britain. "It's easy to trace where it came from. As long as the traceability link can be established, it's a good base on which to found an appropriate decision," said Beate Gminder, spokeswoman for EU Food Safety Commissioner David Byrne. Foot-and-mouth disease is difficult to contain because it is so contagious. It can be carried by birds or on the air. The virus is harmless to humans and does not even kill most of the animals it infects but it destroys their economic value, which is why it causes such panic among farmers. The UK Government admitted on Tuesday it was proving difficult to dispose of the carcasses of animals killed in an attempt to stop the outbreak spreading. More than 120,000 have already been slaughtered, with another 50,000 earmarked for destruction. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown said up to 500,000 sheep, due to start lambing, may also have to be culled. He said bringing in soldiers to shoot animals was being considered but added that was "not a route that one would want to take." Brown also expressed sympathy for French farmers. "I deeply regret what has happened in France ... I am certain that the French Government are taking the correct actions to control the disease just as we are doing here," he said. _______________________________________________ Nettime-bold mailing list Nettime-bold@nettime.org http://www.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold