presidential paradigms
Policy Threatens to Decimate Food Supply
Charles Wilfong, President, West Virginia Farm Bureau
On August 29, 2014 the
United States Department
of Agriculture Animal and
Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) published a
proposed rule in the Federal
Register to allow for the
importation of beef from
the Patagonia region of
Argentina. The rule deems
that the region is free of foot and mouth disease
and would allow for imports of live cattle and
fresh/frozen beef from that region. There is also
a companion proposal that would allow for beef
imports from northern Argentina, which is known
to have FMD in the region.
FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that
can occur in domestic cloven hoof animals such
as cattle, sheep and swine as well as wildlife such
as deer. Wildlife in particular has the potential to
spread FMD very effectively. The virus can be
spread by direct contact from animal to animal
or by contact with food and other contaminated
things. Humans can also spread the disease to
animals through contaminated clothing, footwear
or objects such as farm equipment and feed.
There is no effective vaccination.
Epidemics of FMD have resulted in the deaths
of millions of animals around the globe. Many
people believe these proposals from APHIS could
not only threaten our domestic cattle herds, but
also our entire livestock industry because of the
possible spread of FMD across the country. That
would virtually destroy the livestock industry in
the U.S.
If an