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Pork Board not surprised by latest FMD reports in China

A recent media report about a Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in a herd of Chinese cattle was no surprise to U.S. National Pork Board leaders.  Cindy Cunningham tells Brownfield, “Foot and Mouth Disease is a disease that is actually endemic to the country of China, and by endemic, it means that it is there at any given time.”

Cunningham says the U.S. has been free of FMD since 1929, and they want to keep it out with the protocols put in place by the USDA, border patrol, and producers.  “That really helps us with our trading partners because we’re able to be declared free of Foot and Mouth Disease, which means we’re at a much higher status to trade our products like pork to the rest of the world.”

China’s Ministry of Agriculture says 49 cattle were culled after the O-type strain of FMD was found last week.  China also had an FMD outbreak where 173 pigs were culled in August.