Foot and Mouth Disease , Argentina

February 15, 2006

Impact Worksheet

Summary: The president of the Argentine National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (SENASA) reported to the OIE on February 8, 2006 an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus serotype O in San Luis del Palmar, province of Corrientes in Argentina.   The outbreak occurred in an extensively farmed livestock operation with 3,012 head of cattle, 30 sheep and 25 goats.

In 2004, Argentina ’s stock of cattle, sheep, goats and pigs totaled over 68 million, which represent 1.6% of world stocks.   Argentina produced almost 12 million metric tons of cattle, sheep, goats and pig products in 2004.   During 2004, Argentina exported over 37,000 live cattle, pigs and sheep.   All live cattle exports went to Paraguay and all live pig exports went to Bolivia .   Most live sheep exports went to Saudi Arabia .   By quantity and value, the live cattle and pig exports were less than 0.1 percent of the world’s total.   In 2004, Argentina exported just over 544,000 metric tons of fresh, chilled or frozen meat products including offal, valued at over 1 billion U.S. dollars.   By quantity and value, Germany was the largest importer of fresh or chilled cattle meat from Argentina .   Russia was the largest importer of frozen cattle meat from Argentina in 2004.

Prepared or preserved beef meat, with over 28 million kg imported, made up the largest portion of U.S. agricultural imports from Argentina in 2004.   The U.S. imported over 9 million kg of cheese and curd in 2004 and over 20,000 kg of milk protein concentrates, valued at $116,000 in 2004.   Canadian imports of prepared or preserved beef meat exceeded 900,000 kgm with a value of 4 million Canadian dollars.   In 2004, Mexico imported over 19 million kg of dairy products from Argentina .

The USDA does not consider Argentina to be free of FMD.   Meat and dairy products are allowed to be imported from countries and regions of countries that are not considered FMD free if the products are prepared or processed in a manner as specified in Federal Regulations and under certain import restrictions.   Risk assessments are however currently underway for the regionalization of Argentina and to potentially recognize portions of the country as free of FMD.

In 2004, 356,299 air passengers arrived from Argentina on direct flights.   As part of APHIS-PPQ’s agriculture quarantine inspection monitoring, 630 air passengers from Argentina were sampled for items of agricultural interest in fiscal year 2004.   Forty-three passengers were found to be carrying 96 items of interest.

How extensive is foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Argentina , and what was Argentina ’s disease status prior to the outbreak?

The president of the Argentine National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (SENASA) reported to the OIE on February 8, 2006 an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) virus serotype O in San Luis del Palmar, province of Corrientes in Argentina .   The outbreak occurred in an extensively farmed livestock operation with 3,012 head of cattle, 30 sheep and 25 goats.   To date, 70 head of cattle have been confirmed as FMD cases.   Epidemiological investigations are being carried out, with tracing, inspection and sampling of farms with possible links to the index premises.   Control measures undertaken include quarantine, movement control inside the country, vaccination using inactivated oil vaccine (polyvalent – serotypes O, A and C), and disinfection of infected premises/establishment.   Authorities plan to implement the following control measures: stamping out, screening, and zoning.   The last reported outbreak of FMD in Argentina was in August 2003.

The USDA does not consider Argentina to be free of FMD.   Risk assessments are however currently underway for the regionalization of Argentina and to potentially recognize portions of the country as free of FMD.

Source: OIE Disease Information Report

What is Argentina ’s place in the international market for affected animals and animal products?

In 2004, Argentina ’s stocks of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs totaled over 68 million, which represent 1.6% of world stocks (Table 1).   Cattle, totaling about 50 million head, comprised the majority of Argentina ’s stocks, followed by sheep (12.5 million), goats (4.2 million) and pigs (1.5 million). 

Argentina produced almost 12 million metric tons of cattle, sheep, goats and pig products in 2004.   As a share of the world’s total production for beef/veal, pig and sheep & goat products, Argentina contributed 5.0%, 0.1%, 0.5% respectively in 2004.   Argentina produced 0.6% of world’s production of sheep skins with wool, 1.0% of fresh sheep & goat skins, 2.8% of greasy wool and 5.4% of fresh cattle hides. 

        Table 1: Animal Stocks and Production, Argentina, 2003 and 2004

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: United Nations FA O

During 2004, Argentina exported over 37,000 live cattle, pigs and sheep.   All live cattle exports went to Paraguay and all live pig exports went to Bolivia .   Most live sheep exports went to Saudi Arabia .   No live goats were exported in 2004.   By quantity and value, the live cattle and pig exports were less than 0.1 percent of the world’s total exports.   Sheep exports were 0.2 percent of world exports by quantity and value.  

In 2004, Argentina exported just over 544,000 metric tons of fresh, chilled or frozen meat products including offal, valued at over 1 billion U.S. dollars.   By value, cattle products exported from Argentina were 5.0% of the world total in 2004.   By quantity, Germany was the largest importer of fresh or chilled cattle meat from Argentina and Russia was the largest importer of frozen cattle meat from Argentina in 2004.   Brazil was the largest importer of pig meat and Spain was the largest importer of sheep and goat meat from Argentina in 2004.

Bovine dairy exports for Argentina totaled 262,433 metric tons valued at 521.4 million U.S. dollars in 2004.   The main dairy markets for Argentina are Brazil , Chile , Algeria and the United States .   Raw, untreated bovine hides, skins and leather exports, were valued at over 1.7 million U.S. dollars in 2004.

Table 2:   Exports of live animal and animal products, Argentina, 2003 - 2004

Exports	2003		2004		% of World in 2004
	Quantity (# head or mt)	Value (1000 $)	Quantity (# head or mt)	Value (1000 $)	Quantity	Value
Live (head)
Cattle	2,008	751	1,429	558	<0.1%	<0.1%
Pigs	450	54	186	24	<0.1%	0.1%
Sheep	10,698	199	35,537	1,399	0.2%	0.2%
Totals Live	13,156	1004	37,152	1,981
Fresh, Chilled or Frozen Meat Products, Offal (metric tons)
Cattle	328,457	595,344	537,581	1,019,745	6.6%	5.0%
Sheep and Goat	4,885	10,945	6,588	18,252	0.7%	0.5%
Pig	99	263	287	420	<0.1%	<0.1%
Total Products	333,441	606,552	544,456	1,038,417
Dairy (metric tons)
Bovine	154,741	271,835	262,433	521,394	0.5%	1.5%
Hides, skins and leather (square meters or pieces)
Bovine	2,862	2,485	2,130	1,753	0.4%	<0.1%

Source: United Nations FA O, Global Trade Information Systems

What are the U.S. imports of affected animals or animal products from Argentina ?

In 2004, the U.S. did not import any live cattle, sheep, goats or pigs from Argentina .   Prepared or preserved beef products, with over 28 million kg imported, made up the largest portion of U.S. imports from Argentina in 2004.   The U.S. imported over 9 million kg of cheese and curd in 2004 and over 20,000 kg of milk protein concentrates, valued at $29.7 million and $116,000 respectively in 2004.   Other imports from Argentina in 2004 include cattle meat; milk, cream, concentrates, powders; hides and skins and other of animal origin. 

The USDA does not consider Argentina to be free of FMD.   Meat and dairy products are allowed to be imported from countries and regions of countries that are not considered FMD free if the products are prepared or processed in a manner as specified in Federal Regulations and under certain import restrictions.   Upon meeting these conditions and regulations, the risk of FMD transmission is mitigated.  

Table 3:   U.S. imports of animal products from Argentina , 2003 – 2004

Product	2003		2004
	Quantity (kg or pieces)	$Value (thousands) (U.S. dollars)	Quantity (kg or pieces)	$Value (thousands) (U.S. dollars)
Prepared or preserved meats, beef (kg)	21,078,618	55,419	28,127,025	82,943
Cheese and curd (kg)	8,340,682	25,235	9,104,987	29,652
Raw/unprocessed bovine hides and skins (pieces)	4,741	72.9	481	37.5
Raw/unprocessed goat hides and skins, pre-tan, fresh (kg)	51	1.4	2,287	46.9
Raw/unprocessed sheep and lamb skin with wool-on (pieces)	16,120	118.2	9,080	79.9
Cattle meat (kg), frozen, salted or dried	17,853	30	36,223	120
Whey and milk protein concentrates (kg)	*40,000	*72	**20,000	**116
Milk, cream, concentrates, powders (kg)	20,334	14	6,173	6
Other of animal origin (kg)***	1,361,609	3,420	2,056,335	5,800

***includes guts, not of fish, waste of raw hides/skins, products used as food, ingredients, dead animal products and other products not elsewhere specified or indicated

* Whey

** Milk protein concentrates not elsewhere specified or indicated

Source: World Trade Atlas

What are Canada and Mexico ’s imports of affected animals or animal products from Argentina ?

Canada : In 2004, Canada did not import any live cattle, sheep, goats or pigs from Argentina .   Canadian imports of prepared or preserved beef from Argentina exceeded 909,000 kg in 2004 with a value of 4 million Canadian dollars (see Table 4 below).   Imports of hides and skins from Argentina had a value of over 3.8 million Canadian dollars in 2004.   The total value of milk products (including cheese, curd, whey and milk protein concentrates) reached over 2.2 million Canadian dollars with quantities of about 809,000 kg (see Table 4). 

Mexico : Mexico did not import any live cattle, sheep, goats or pigs in 2004 from Argentina .   In 2004, Mexico imported over 19 million kg of dairy products from Argentina (see Table 5 below).   The largest import, by quantity, was milk, cream, concentrates, and powders with over 14 million kg imported.   The value in 2004 of all dairy products imported into Mexico was over 39 million U.S. dollars.

Table 4:   Canadian imports of animal products from Argentina , 2003 – 2004

Product	2003		2004
	Quantity (kgm)	$Value (thousands) (Canadian   dollars)	Quantity (kgm)	$Value (thousands) (Canadian dollars)
Prepared or preserved meat, beef (kgm)	829,780	3,583	909,967	4,032
Bovine hides and skins	*	4,226	*	3,843
Cheese and curd (kgm)	140,774	869	253,748	1,235
Whey and other milk products ( kgm)	53,314	82,000	555,005	1,090
Milk, cream, concentrates, powders (kgm)	122	0.16	85	0.2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Not specified

Source: World Trade Atlas

Table 5:   Mexican imports of animal products from Argentina, 2003 – 2004

Product	2003		2004
	Quantity (KG)	$Value (thousand) (U.S. dollars)	Quantity (KG)	$Value (thousand) (U.S. dollars)
Milk, cream, concentrates, powder	7,890,125	12,504	14,050,875	27,392
Cheese and curd	10,765,546	19,534	4,863,123	10,998
Whey and other milk products	500	3	375,000	1,038

Source: World Trade Atlas

What is the level of passenger traffic arriving in the United States from Argentina ?

In 2004, 356,299 air passengers arrived from Argentina on direct flights to the U.S.   This number includes passengers arriving from Argentina who are not necessarily residents of Argentina .

As part of APHIS-PPQ’s agriculture quarantine inspection monitoring, 630 air passengers from Argentina were sampled for items of agricultural interest in fiscal year 2004.   Forty-three passengers were found to be carrying 96 items of interest.   Items of interest included animal skins (13 kgs), beef (26 kgs), cheese (7 kgs), pork (16 kgs or pieces), milk (3 kgs or pieces), animal parts (12 kgs) and yogurt (2 kgs).   Three people/groups, of the 43 found to be carrying items of agricultural interest, reported that they planned to visit a farm or ranch in the United States .   These people/groups were carrying pork, animal skins and/or animal parts.

Source: USDA APHIS-PPQ Agricultural Quarantine Inspection databases, US Department of Commerce.

CEI’s plans for follow up:

At this time, CEI will continue to monitor this situation, but has no plans to issue additional reports.   If you need more information or if you want to comment on this worksheet, you may reply to this message, or contact Elizabeth Williams at (970)494-7329 or Kamina Johnson at (970)494 -7340 .