Chile restores recognition of Patagonia as free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination

Chile’s agricultural health service (SAG) has reinstated recognition of Argentina’s Patagonia region as “free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination,” a status that had been suspended in August. The suspension came after the Argentine government decided to relax the sanitary barrier separating Patagonia from the rest of the country — which is classified as free with vaccination — and allowed the entry of meat with flat bones from those areas. At the time, Chile temporarily halted imports of live breeding cattle and Patagonian meat products pending review. Following a recent audit, Chile has now approved the measure, and the suspension is expected to be lifted in the coming days.

Patagonian livestock producers in Argentina welcomed Chile’s decision and remain hopeful that upcoming audit missions from the European Union and Japan will follow suit.