World closes doors to European meat

Foot-and-mouth has arrived on mainland Europe

Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have become the latest countries to ban imports of livestock and meat products from the European Union.

Their action follows the discovery of foot-and-mouth disease among cattle in France - the first case on mainland Europe since the outbreak began in the UK three weeks ago.

The meat import bans

USA: All EU countries

Canada: All EU countries

Japan: UK and France

Australia: All EU countries

New Zealand: All EU countries

South Korea: All EU countries

The US and Canada have already imposed bans, while Japan has announced it will not allow any meat products from France into the country. The Australian Government is banning imports of live animals and raw meat products from all countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease, or suspected of being threatened by the disease, with immediate effect.

Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said: "Our concerns now are that the disease is moving so quickly through Europe that we need to take advance action, because of the increased risk that products coming from Europe could potentially have foot and mouth disease."

The affected French farm moved quickly to destroy livestock

New Zealand has banned European meat and dairy imports on a temporary basis until the EU clarifies the foot-and-mouth status of its member countries.

Bans on imports from France and from the UK - the source of the current outbreak - are likely to last longer.

South Korea has imposed a temporary ban on imports of cloven-hoofed animals and related products from EU countries.

Elsewhere, Argentina has announced its first case of foot-and-mouth disease, putting its $500m beef export sector at risk.

The number of cases around the UK topped 200 on Tuesday causing the virtual shutdown of many countryside villages.

European measures expected

The European Parliament is due to debate the food-and-mouth crisis later on Wednesday, when the European Commission is expected to present a statement on the latest situation.

Under EU regulations announced last week, all movement of livestock is banned unless the animals are being taken directly to slaughterhouses or, with official permission, to other farms.

The EU export ban applies to cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other species at risk from the disease.

After confirmation of an outbreak at the Mayenne, in north-western France, individual European countries and regions reacted with even tougher measures:

• the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia announced that all sheep imported from France in the last three weeks would be destroyed
• Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Germany imposed an immediate ban on French livestock imports
• the Netherlands announced an immediate ban on all animal transport, and officials will track down all French imports from the past three weeks
• Switzerland closed its borders to all livestock from the EU.

Foot-and-mouth disease strikes cloven-hoofed animals such as sheep, pigs and cows, either killing the animals or reducing production of milk and meat.

It can be transmitted by the wind, people or vehicles, or spread by contaminated hay, water and manure.

Entire herds are being destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease, which is not harmful to humans.

UN warning

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is warning that foot-and-mouth disease could strike countries around the world.

It called on the international community to adopt tougher counter measures, including stricter controls on immigrants, tourists, and imports of foods, including those carried by travellers.

Yves Cheneau, head of the UN body's animal health service and the organisation's senior expert on foot-and-mouth, told Reuters news agency: "Any country around the world might be contaminated.

"When we look at the way that the virus spreads, it's very clear that every country is threatened."