Disease causes Argentina to limit cattle slaughter

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters) -- Argentina, the world's No. 4 beef exporter, halted Friday the slaughter of 19.6 percent of its cattle herd after a foot-and-mouth scare that led it to suspend most fresh beef exports throughout the Americas.

The director of epidemiology for Senasa, Argentina's phytosanitary agency, told Reuters the entire winter herd in the northeast Argentine provinces of Formosa, Entre Rios and Corrientes would be "immobilized" for 21 days while undergoing testing for antibodies for the virus that causes the disease.

"Argentina made the decision in order to facilitate the absolute safety guarantee of the herds that we need to test that came out of the (affected) region," said Eduardo Greco by telephone before a meeting with animal health officials.

A spokesman in Senasa's press office said that as a result of the immobilization order, none of the approximately 9.8 million head of cattle in the three affected provinces would be sent to slaughter until the order expired.

Argentina's national cattle herd counts 50 million head.

Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious to animals, but cannot be transmitted to humans. Many of the world's largest beef markets refuse to import from countries with infected herds.

Greco said animal health officials were running tests of Argentine herds that may have come in contact with 10 Paraguayan cattle grazing in Argentina found to have antibodies for the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease.

An Argentine Agriculture Department spokesman told Reuters late Thursday that Argentina suspended the export of fresh beef cuts and frozen cuts without bones to most of the Americas, including the United States, Canada, Central America and the Caribbean.

The spokesman put the probable length of the export suspension at "a week to 10 days."

News of the cut in export supply moved Chicago cattle futures markets, traders said.

Just over two months ago, Argentina earned a clean bill of health for its stock as free of foot-and-mouth disease without the use of vaccinations, which opened up markets including Japan, Mexico and South Korea that will not import from countries with the disease.

Senasa did not immediately have concrete numbers or estimates available for the number of cattle in the three provinces that had been scheduled for slaughter in the three-week period.

Greco emphasized that no active cases of foot-and-mouth disease or the virus that causes it had been found in Argentine cattle despite reports in almost all major Argentine newspapers Friday incorrectly describing an "outbreak" of the disease.

"Up to the moment we have not detected any clinical presence of the sickness and we are running epidemiological tests of the herds. The cattle that have been detected with positive serology have already been destroyed," said Greco.

Positive serology indicates the presence of foot-and-mouth antibodies, which can be present if an animal has been vaccinated for the disease or has had contact with another vaccinated animal, according to Senasa.

Some 3,200 Argentine cattle were ordered destroyed on suspicion they were in contact with the 10 Paraguayan cattle smuggled over the border past sanitary controls, he said.

The Paraguayan Rural Association told reporters in Asuncion Argentine officials had "lied" that Paraguayan cattle had the antibodies of the virus that causes the ailment.

Argentina would keep its borders closed indefinitely to certain animal byproduct and livestock imports from Paraguay, Greco said.

Argentina's 50 million head of cattle were cleared of foot-and-mouth without requirement for vaccination on May 24, paving the way for shipments to sanitary-minded countries.

Exports of Argentina's world-renowned grass-fed beef had been expected to hit 350,000 tonnes in 2000 based on stable prices per live kilo and rising world demand.

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