11/02/05 Brazil and foot and mouth disease

Brazil Foot and Mouth Disease Brazil has had another outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute with some comments. Another outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease has just been reported in Brazil. This could have a real economic impact on Brazil's beef trade. Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and also has the world's largest beef herd numbering 190 million head. This latest case of FMD has caused the European Union, Britain, and Chile to ban beef imports from certain Brazilian states, while Israel, South Africa, and Russia has stopped imports from the entire country. This year, between January and September, Brazil has exported fresh and processed meat worth the equivalent of 2.44 billion U.S. dollars. That is an increase of almost 30% over last year. Bans to such a rapidly growing export market has to be quite a concern to Brazil. The United States, South Korea, and Japan will not import fresh beef from Brazil because of the on-going Foot and Mouth Disease problems. While as producers we can sympathize with the ranchers and their losses where the outbreak occurred, maybe as a trading nation, the United States should look at this situation as an opportunity to promote our beef to the nations that have banned Brazil's beef. Although this might sound cold-hearted, other countries increased imports to Japan when the U.S. lost that market because of one BSE case. Our foreign trade deficient could always use a boost. It's just a thought. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Livestock Reporter 10/19/05