Re: [pyrnet] Foot and mouth disease?

[Shirley McGreal <spm@awod.com>]

The story that follows appeared in the The Electronic Telegraph on Friday 2 
March. Many list members will have heard of the infamous "bush meat trade" 
which involves many species including huge numbers of primates (my area of 
work). Many African expatriates like to get "bush meat" and this could be a 
way to transfer not just foot and mouth disease but also Ebola and other 
killer viruses. Because all primates are listed on either Appendix I or 
Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, 
documentation is required for live animals or products, but some smuggling 
goes on. Only a tiny percentage of incoming wildlife shipments are 
physically inspected by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It's worse in 
most countries. Some years ago Iberia cargo handlers refused to handle 
luggage arriving at Madrid on flights arriving from former Spanish 
Equatorial Guinea because of the stench of dead animals. We all should try 
to ensure that wildlife shipments are thoroughly inspected by USFWS and 
USDA so we do not endanger our own wild and domestic animals and our 
ability to move them interstate.

---------------------------Telegraph story-----------------------

MINISTERS were given warning nine months ago that meat from Africa being
smuggled through Heathrow airport carried an "extremely high" risk of foot
and mouth disease.A letter sent to Nick Brown, the Agriculture Minister, last
May voiced fears that passengers from Nigeria and Ghana were bringing in
potentially infected meat, including entire butchered deer and dead monkeys,
in their suitcases.

The head of the company responsible for animal product
shipments at Heathrow said last night that baggage handlers were refusing to
touch luggage containing anteaters, tortoise legs, and maggot-infested
fish.With foot and mouth spreading to animal herds across the country,
scientists have tried to identify the source of the outbreak.

One suggestion is that the disease was present in meat products brought in 
unwittingly from
outside Europe and possibly from Africa. A dossier passed to The Daily
Telegraph, including the letter to Mr Brown and graphic photographs of
passenger bags filled with decaying meat and fish, has reinforced concerns
that some flights arriving in Britain could pose a direct risk to animal and
human health.

Although there is as yet no evidence that the current outbreak
of foot and mouth was brought in from Africa, the revelations will heighten
fears that British ports are incapable of preventing the entry of devastating
diseases. Clive Lawrance, director of Ciel Logistics based near Heathrow,
wrote to Mr Brown to warn that financial constraints and pressure to
concentrate on collecting revenue meant the authorities were failing to take
the problem seriously.He told the Agriculture Minister: "The risk to the
community is extremely high given that some of this product could contain
disease, ie anthrax, foot and mouth, etc. Do I need to say more? Currently
the general public are unaware of this risk. Whilst revenue collection is a
high consideration, I have stated to the authorities that one outbreak of a
serious contamination would be embarrassing to all concerned including
you."Mr Lawrance said last night that his letter was ignored by Mr Brown, but
was passed on to Stella Jarvis, the senior surveyor of customs at Heathrow,
who confirmed his concerns.

He said that after an inspection of a flight from
Ghana in September, which resulted in nearly 1,400 kgs of meat being
confiscated, police were called to intervene when passengers tried to prevent
customs and MAFF officers from seizing their bags. The meat was for
specialist markets. A spokesman for MAFF said: "We are aware that this is a
recurring problem which we take seriously."

Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman, International Primate Protection League
POB 766 Summerville SC 29484 USA
Phone: 843-871-2280 Fax: 843-871-7988
E-mail spm@awod.com or ippl@awod.com
Visit IPPL's award-winning web site: <http://www.ippl.org>
2001 marks the 20th anniversary of lab gibbon Arun Rangsi 's arrival at 
IPPL and the 10th anniversary of Beanie Gibbon's arrival.