Brazil Confirms New Cases of Foot-and-mouth DiseaseThe Brazilian government confirmed on Saturday a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul.The agricultural secretariat of Rio Grande do Sul said that part of a herd of 67 animals on Brazil's border with Uruguay had been diagnosed with the disease. Twenty animals were infected and culling could begin later Saturday, added a spokesman for the secretariat. It is Brazil's fifth foot-and-mouth outbreak in the past two weeks, which comes only two days after the state slaughtered hundreds of livestock. The foot-and-mouth epidemic broke out on May 5 when 11 infected animals were detected at a Santana del Libramiento ranch, some 500 kilometers from Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul. Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture then started a massive vaccination campaign in the 25 municipalities of the state and began to cull infected animals as of May 15. As home to the world's largest commercial cattle herd of 167 million head, Brazil is facing a severe crisis due to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which has led many countries to suspend imports of Brazilian meat. The United Kingdom, Russia and Saudi Arabia banned meat imports from all parts of Brazil, while Chile and Israel decided to tighten the restrictions imposed on meat coming from the affected Rio Grande do Sul state. |
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