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Jim Rogers (301) 734-0603

Angela Harless (202) 720-4623

**USDA CHANGES THE DISEASE STATUS OF FOUR COUNTRIES IN THE EUROPEAN
UNION**

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27, 2007\--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service will amend its animal import
regulations by changing the disease statuses of the Czech Republic,
Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. These countries will be added to the
regions of the European Union considered low risk for classical swine
fever and free of swine vesicular disease. Latvia and Lithuania also
will be added to the list of regions considered free of foot-and-mouth
disease and rinderpest. This final rule is scheduled for publication in
the Nov. 28 *Federal Register*.

When the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland became members of
the European Union, they adopted its animal health, welfare and
identification legislation, including legislation specific to classical
swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease and swine vesicular disease. By
adopting these laws and regulations, as well as undergoing a thorough
APHIS risk assessment; these countries met the requirements for a change
in status.

These changes in disease status will result in fewer restrictions on
imports of animals and animal products from these countries. For
example, no swine can be imported from any region affected with
classical swine fever or swine vesicular disease, although some cooked
and cured products from affected regions are allowed into the United
States. Countries under foot-and-mouth disease restrictions are not
allowed to export ruminant animals nor allowed import of fresh nor
chilled ruminant animal products into the United States.

Classical swine fever is a highly contagious and often fatal disease of
pigs. Young animals are more severely affected than older animals and
mortality rates can reach up to 90 percent among young pigs. Swine
vesicular disease is less severe and does not usually cause death. A
swine vesicular disease outbreak has not occurred in the United States
and classical swine fever was eradicated in 1976.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious viral disease that affects
cloven-hoofed animals. Cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are highly
susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease. Although the death rates in
animals are often low, it has serious lasting negative effects on
infected animals that survive the disease. In animals it causes
decreased milk production, decreased pregnancy rates, weight loss and
lameness.

Rinderpest is an infectious [viral](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virus)
[disease](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease) of
[cattle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle) commonly referred to as
cattle plague. The disease is characterized by
[fever](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever), oral erosions,
[diarrhea](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarrhea), lymphoid
[necrosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necrosis) and high
[mortality](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death).

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