NZ steps up cattle disease vigilance By ROELAND van den BERGH - The Dominion Post | Monday, 6 August 2007
New Zealand has stepped up vigilance against foot-and-mouth disease but exporters are unlikely to benefit from a sales boom because of the outbreak in Britain. Britain checks research labs after outbreak
Britain's environment and food ministry said yesterday that the highly infectious disease was detected in cattle on a farm in Surrey, southwest of London.
Authorities have culled cattle at the farm and have been scrambling to prevent an outbreak like that in 2001 that crippled the farming and tourism industries in Britain.
New Zealand exports did benefit during that widespread outbreak, which was compounded by the mad cow disease or BSE scare.
Meat and Wool New Zealand chairman Mike Petersen said yesterday that New Zealand had filled 98 per cent of its beef export quota to Europe and 78 per cent of its sheep quota. "So there is very limited scope for us to put more product into Europe anyway."
The early start to the season here also meant farmers did not have stock available to meet any increased demand from European customers to make up for a shortfall because of a ban on British meat exports.
Demand from Britain could fall as the export ban forced British farmers to sell on the local market.
"Until we see the extent of the outbreak we just don't know whether that is going to change demand or change pricing over the next few weeks," Mr Petersen said. "But you would not wish this on your worst enemy."
A foot-and-mouth outbreak in New Zealand would be catastrophic for an industry that exports 90 per cent of its product, Mr Petersen said.
Biosecurity NZ has increased its vigilance at borders.
Unlike in 2001 when the disease spread throughout Britain, authorities had acted quickly to isolate the properties involved.
Biosecurity NZ's passenger clearance director Leanne Gibson said the department had stepped up existing border measures, including risk-profiling of passengers and inspections at airports.
Biosecurity NZ was constantly on the lookout for foot-and-mouth disease and the Surrey outbreak was no cause for alarm here, she said.
New Zealand did not allow dairy or meat products into the country that could not be successfully treated for the risk of foot-and-mouth.
"Strict procedures at airports and ports have been designed to prevent the introduction of foot-and-mouth through the tourism pathway."
New Zealand has never had an outbreak of the disease but it is endemic in several countries.
Numerous outbreaks happen throughout the world each year, especially in Asia and South America.
This year there have been 65 reports of foot-and-mouth outbreaks to the World Organisation for Animal Health, across 15 countries.
The British epidemic in 2001 was estimated to have cost the economy 8 billion ($NZ21.48 billion).
Between February 20 and September 30, 2001, more than 2000 cases of foot-and-mouth were confirmed throughout Britain.
