Colombia says more cattle foot-and-mouth free

Reuters, 05.26.03, 7:01 PM ET

BOGOTA, Colombia, May 26 (Reuters) - Colombia has declared new regions of the country as free of foot-and-mouth, bringing to 52 percent the total of its cattle of 22 million head as free of the disease, the government said on Monday.

The measure, certified by the Paris-based International Epizootic Office, includes 1.5 million cattle in the northern regions of Antioquia, Bolivar, Cesar, Norte de Santander and Santander, the Colombian Agriculture and Livestock Institute said in a news release.

"The certification will allow Colombia to increase its exports of beef products to other markets. The government is expecting visits by technical commissions from Chile and the United States in hopes of extending sales to those countries before the end of the year," it said.

Colombia, which says it has not detected a case of foot-and-mouth disease for the last 10 months, hopes to be totally free of the disease by 2005.

The highly-contagious virus causes sores on cloven-footed animals' feet and mouths, reduces meat and milk production and interferes with reproduction. It does not affect humans but eliminating the disease is a necessary step toward negotiating access to major world beef markets.

Colombia's beef exports in 2002 tumbled to 2,509 tonnes, against 10,101 tonnes in 2001, hurt by sales to neighboring Venezuela, which has been hit by an opposition-led general strike and currency controls.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service