US-Panamanian mad cow flap

It started several months ago, when tests showed that a single cow imported into the United States from Canada was infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy --- mad cow disease. The disorder, which is caused by infectious molecules called prions, is highly contagious among animals and can jump from cattle to humans with fatal results. The “cure” is the destruction and burning or burial in clay pits of all animals that are infected or that have been exposed to the infection, and strict quarantines to prevent the movement of animals out of places where the disorder is found.

This meant that many countries in the world banned the importation of beef from the US and Canada. Panama is one of these countries, and here it wasn’t only a ban on steaks, but all meats from ruminant animals and the most popular pet foods that Panama imports from North America.

Whenever the alarm goes out over mad cow disease the effects are devastating to local cattle ranchers, whether or not the fear is exaggerated. Herds get slaughtered but not marketed and sales disappear. The Bush administration, probably facing a much less severe threat than the one that Tony Blair’s government faced in Britain a few years ago, has tried to go easy on the restrictions. Thus in the US domestic market the main hit to the cattle industry has been by wary consumers rather than by government intervention.

But foreign governments have been much less understanding.

In Panama’s case, it’s easy to see why. There is an election approaching and beef is one of this country’s principal agricultural products, so it makes sense for the government to want to be seen protecting Panamanian ranchers, whether or not the threat of importing a cattle disease is real.

However, the US Department of Agriculture has concluded a study about the cow in question, which denies that there is any scientific reason for other countries to continue their restrictions on US meat. Dr. Ron DeHaven, the chief veterinarian for the USDA, said in an internationally circulated press statement that “this information demonstrates that whatever restrictions against meat and meat products from the United States can be eliminated without compromising safety.”

Here in Panama the American Embassy has forwarded the USDA report to the Moscoso administration, along with a plea to end the restrictions placed on imports of US meat and meat products.

The problems are that there is an election fast approaching here, and US and Panamanian delegates are about to sit down to talk about a wide-ranging free trade pact. From the Panamanian government perspective there is no great urgency to act on the American plea.

It does seem, however, that after a great hue and cry in which no more infected animals were found the Canadian-American case really was an isolated incident rather than a serious outbreak. Although Panama does have certain sovereign rights and a tradition of enforcing them when the possiblity of importing cattle diseases is at issue, this country's economic bargaining power when compared to that of the United States is almost nil. So look for your pets’ favorite crunchies, and frozen steaks from the USA, to return to Panamanian supermarkets soon after the election.

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US pleads with RP over mad cow restrictions