Argentina admits farm infection

Argentina is the world's fifth largest beef exporter

By Lourdes Heredia in Buenos Aires

The authorities in Argentina have confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease near the capital, Buenos Aires.

This outbreak is unconnected with the one in the UK and France, and confirmation of it ends weeks of media speculation that world's fifth largest beef exporter has the infection.

It could not have come at a worse time for Argentina.

If the virus has spread far, it could have a devastating effect on farmers who are the backbone of the Argentine economy, which is struggling to emerge from two years of deep recession.

So far, the authorities have only confirmed one case in a remote part of Buenos Aires province.

But the farming and food health agency said it was investigating possible other cases around the country.

Hundreds of jobs 'at risk'

As a preventative measure, the agency has stopped all exports of meat to the United States, Canada and Chile.

The European Union has also acted quickly, banning all imports of Argentine livestock and dairy products.

Industry experts say farmers could lose more than $40m a month while the ban is in place. They also say hundreds of jobs are at risk.

Foot-and-mouth disease is endemic in much of Latin America but, until last year, Argentina had prided itself on being completely free of the virus.

The concern now will be to prevent the disease from spreading to Argentina's neighbours through porous borders and lax customs controls.