USDA warns vs. entry of contaminated meats
The United States Department of Agriculture has warned that the foot and mouth epidemic and other infected meat products continue to be a major concern due to lenient quarantine procedures.
USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services and Plant Protection and Quarantine Director Mitchell G. Nelson renewed calls for the CNMI quarantine division to inspect all incoming cargoes especially crates of goods coming from foreign countries.
He said the greatest danger in the CNMI is bypassing inspection and according VIP treatment to arriving dignitaries or officials from other countries.
The director explained that everybody should be subjected to routine inspection while baggage should be treated like anything that other guests and foreign workers are trying to bring in.
The problem of FMD, mad cow disease and the E. coli bacteria will generate problems for the Commonwealth. The Northern Marianas, being a tourist spot is likely to lose tourists to other destinations.
“Problems like this will chase tourists away. Travelers will either visit Korea or Japan and skip CNMI for vacation,” said Mr. Nelson in an interview.
A USDA advisory earlier raised alarm over the continued epidemic of FMD after officials traced the cause of disaster to illegal meat smuggled into the United Kingdom sold to a Chinese restaurant.
“New virulent types of the disease, similar to the one found in Britain, were introduced to some countries which were previously free. They were not because of legal trading but probably because of smuggling and illegal trade,” the USDA advisory stated.
Further, the report said diseased pigwills, sometimes illegally imported, is increasingly thought to be the cause of outbreaks. This is the case particularly in Asia.
The spread of the disease can be traced to goods brought in from other countries were bacteria are thriving, Mr. Nelson said. This is the reason why CNMI should impose strict quarantine procedures to entering goods.
The Department of Lands and Natural Resources said quarantine personnel deployed in port of entries were properly trained on how to thoroughly inspect incoming cargoes.
DLNR officials assured CNMI residents that quarantine procedures are being complied with and strictly followed thus entry of infected meats are less likely to happen.(EGA)
