Oct 29, 2009
Brazilian Government Trying To Eliminate Foot and Mouth Disease By The End Of 2010
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
With all the news about soybean, coffee, and sugarcane production in Brazil, many people don't realize that Brazil also has the largest cattle herd in the world as well being one of the leading beef exporters in the world. As an illustration of just how important cattle production is in Brazil, the amount of land in pastures (550,000,000 acres) is approximately four and a half times greater than the total amount of land in row crop production (120,000,000 acres). One of the obstacles to even larger beef exports from Brazil is the presence of foot and mouth disease in remote parts of the country. Japan for example will not import beef or pork products from Brazil because of the presence of foot and mouth disease. The most recent outbreak of the disease was along the border with Paraguay.
The goal of the Brazilian government is to rid the country of the disease by the end of 2010. To achieve that goal, a rigorous vaccination campaign has been in place in Brazil for many years. The goal can only be achieved if every cow in the country is vaccinated on a yearly basis. The vaccinations occur during two months of the year, May and November. In May, only cattle between the ages of 0-24 months are vaccinated. In December, all the cattle are vaccinated regardless of age. Without proof of vaccination, a cow cannot be transported or sold in Brazil. For each cow not vaccinated, the rancher pays an annual fine of R$ 87.27 or approximately US$ 50 per head. The cost for the vaccination is approximately R$ 1.30 per head or about US$ 0.80.
The Agriculture Departments in individual states registers each farm and the number of animals that need to be vaccinated. This gives the department valuable information concerning the total number of animals and their distribution within the state. If a particular herd is not registered, the property owner will not be permitted to transport or sell any of the animals.