Paraguay to destroy cattle to fight foot-and-mouth

Paraguay has ordered the destruction of 1,000 head of cattle to stem an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, while beef powerhouse Brazil banned imports of its neighbor's beef, pork, cattle and pigs."The animals and their remains will be destroyed to prevent their meat from being sold," said Governor Jose Ledesma of Paraguay's San Pedro department where authorities said 13 cows had been found to have the highly contagious viral disease.Brazil, the world's number two beef supplier, will temporarily ban all imports of beef, pork, and live cattle and pigs from Paraguay, the Agriculture ministry meanwhile said in a statement in Brasilia.The outbreak has sent tremors through a region famous for its meat industry. Uruguay, where beef is the top export, immediately closed its borders to animals, animal byproducts and certain goods from Paraguay.Argentina, the sixth largest beef exporter, issued a food health alert and suspended imports from Paraguay. Peru, meanwhile, said it was banning the import of livestock from Paraguay for 180 days to try to contain the disease.Beef is the number two export for small and mostly rural Paraguay, totaling $650 million last year.Paraguay on Monday suspended livestock exports for 80 days, moving to throw the brakes on a crisis that is certain to hit the country's economy hard and set back its recovery from another foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2002. Ledesma said the destruction of the exposed cattle in a community called Sargento Loma, an estimated 400 kilometers (240 miles) northeast of Asuncion, would be done in public view. "We want everyone to see that those animals have been eliminated," he said. Some cattle ranchers have demanded that they be compensated for every animal sacrificed, but Ledesma said their demands were irresponsible. "We have to completely eliminate these animals as a sign that this is a serious government," he said.At a news conference Monday, Paraguayan Meats Industry Chamber president Mari Llorens estimated it will take six to eight months to return to a normal health status. She projected the industry's losses at $70 million a month. One of the most contagious animal diseases known, foot-and-mouth (also known as hoof-and-mouth) disease infects mainly cattle and swine but also sheep and goats. The disease can be spread with dust, animal-to-animal in herds, through consumption of contaminated animal products, and even with farm implements and vehicles. Though adult animals normally do not die from the disease, they must be destroyed once infected to keep it from spreading.The European Union had authorized imports of Paraguayan beef in August 2008. Paraguay also exports beef to Chile, Russia, Israel, Venezuela and Brazil.