A controversial initiative by the Biden Administration proposes to permit the importation into the US of fresh beef from Paraguay. Many industry stakeholders protest that this will expose American agriculture to the risks of foot-and-mouth disease, with potentially devastating socioeconomic consequences.
Climate warriors increasingly target cows as destructive, and now Biden risks the entire US cow (and pig) industries to improve diplomatic relations with corrupt Paraguay. The economic risks are mammoth.
As the COVID pandemic illustrated, pathogens do not abide by governmental regulations and easily transcend porous borders. Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is generally non-fatal to humans but is absolutely devastating to livestock – especially pigs and cows, which are more vulnerable. Yet the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under Joe Biden has finalized regulations to open US markets to Paraguayan beef imports despite that nation’s history of FMD and rampant corruption.
American farming industry interests are unanimously up in arms against this plan, claiming there is no current data on Paraguayan safety protocols, and that animals from other countries not subject to oversight will end up in Paraguay’s beef stream. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) asserts “… that the conclusions drawn in the proposed rule are based on outdated information that does not adequately calculate the risk to U.S. consumers and the U.S. cattle herd. The United States Cattlemen’s Association and American Farm Bureau Federation also strongly oppose the rule change.”
Those risks are profound. A recent FMD outbreak in Indonesia suspected to have been caused by an illegal animal importation devastated that country’s economy and food supply. A 2001 outbreak in the UK cost that economy an estimated $20 billion. An outbreak in the United States would threaten the nation’s 90 million dairy and beef cows as well as its swine and other livestock industries. FMD also impacts wildlife species, yet further causing damage and complicating eradication efforts.
Foot and Mouth
The United States has not recorded a case of FMD since 1929 and has instituted rigorous prevention practices to safeguard its cattle industry. The disease begins with a high fever, and then develops into sores in the mouth and on hooves. FMD is highly contagious, requiring intensive countermeasures including vaccination and the slaughter of both infected and healthy animals. This is a disease that can wipe out whole industries overnight and promises to do so again.
https://granitegrok.com/mg_vermont/2023/12/biden-beef-deal-risks-foot-and-mouth-disease
h/t Coastie Patriot
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