Foot-and-mouth Disease Crisis
Argentina's cattle industry had become a key growth driver in the economy, with Argentina ranking fourth in cow meat exports. As such, it was crushing news when, in 2001, for the first time in 60 years, new cases of foot-and-mouth diseases (FMD) were found. Although FMD is usually harmless to people, the virus is easily spread between animals, making the slaughter of sick animals needful. Argentine beef was banned by more than 60 countries, including the United States and Canada.
After an aggressive vaccination programme, the OIE (Office International des Epizooties) said in 2003 that Argentina had regained "foot-and-mouth free with vaccination" status. A few years later, new cases of FMD were discovered in a herd of cattle in a northern province of Argentina. As a result, Chile banned the import of Argentine meat.
Read more about this topic: Argentine Beef
Famous quotes containing the words disease and/or crisis:
“Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error of judgment.”
—Philip K. Dick (1928–1982)
“The change from storm and winter to serene and mild weather, from dark and sluggish hours to bright and elastic ones, is a memorable crisis which all things proclaim. It is seemingly instantaneous at last.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)