010441 Animal Rights Group Wants Ban on U.S. Meat ImportsApril 22, 2001Washington - The country's largest animal protection organization urged the U.S. Agriculture Department to temporarily ban all imports of livestock and meat products because of recent outbreaks of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease in Europe, Asia and South America. In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, the Humane Society of the United States said the department also needs to stop “risky farm practices” that make U.S. livestock vulnerable to the disease. “Viruses can spread like wildfire in massive livestock facilities where thousands of animals are crammed together in confined areas,” said Patricia Forkan, the group's executive vice-president. “We've turned farms into factories and, if foot-and-mouth hits the U.S., the animals will continue to pay the price.” USDA officials were not immediately available for comment. Foot-and-mouth disease cripples pigs, cattle, sheep and goats for months, and sharply reduces milk and meat production. The virus, which rarely endangers humans, is easily spread by shoes, farm equipment and even the wind. The United States has import bans on live animals and raw meat products from all countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease. Last month, the United States halted all imports of live animals and raw meat products from the European Union after foot-and-mouth disease jumped from Britain into France. The disease has since been confirmed in the Netherlands, France and Ireland. Argentina, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Taiwan have all reported recent foot- and-mouth outbreaks. American officials have warned an outbreak in the United States, which has been free of foot-and-mouth since 1929, could cause billions of dollars' worth of losses to farmers and the tourism industry. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota has also urged the Bush administration to impose a moratorium on all meat imports because of livestock outbreaks abroad.
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