Brazil bans Argentinian cattle

The government in Brazil has banned imports of cattle and most beef products from Argentina in moves to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Brazil's agriculture minister Marcus Vinicius Pratini de Moraes said Argentina was aware of the fears of the disease in Brazil and approved the decision.

On Wednesday, the authorities in Argentina announced a vaccination plan to fight foot-and-mouth disease along the country's borders with Brazil and Paraguay, although Argentina had been considered free of the disease since last year.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service