Fairs likely to be unscathed by livestock disease

PORTLAND – Maine’s livestock fairs should be safe from foot-and-mouth disease and farmers should feel comfortable bringing their animals to events, the Maine Department of Agriculture said.

“There’s always a risk, but we feel we’ve prepared,” Department of Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear said recently.

The state has hired another veterinarian who will go to every fair and inspect the animals. And the department has printed 750,000 informational brochures that will be handed out to every car entering the fairgrounds. There will also be increased signage around the fairs to warn visitors about the disease.

None of the fairs has been canceled, Spear said.

Foot-and-mouth is a highly communicable disease that affects cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and other animals with cloven hooves. Infected animals develop blisters, followed by erosion of the flesh on their tongues, lips and mouths. Most infected animals die, and those who do survive suffer severe losses in their milk and meat production.

Fear of the disease, which took a devastating toll on the livestock industry in Great Britain, has caused farms and petting zoos around the state to adopt stricter guidelines to protect their animals. While not dangerous to humans, the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease can be carried by humans and then transmitted to animals.

Maine agriculture officers and farmers remain vigilant to prevent the first American outbreak of the disease in 72 years.

“I happen to think that we’re extremely vulnerable to the introduction of a foreign animal disease through various means,” said State Veterinarian Donald Hoenig, who was among the first group of American veterinarians to travel to Great Britain to work on the epidemic.

Since his return, Hoenig has traveled around the state holding informational meetings with farmers on what they can do to protect their animals. He said the top three foreign diseases could be transported into the United States through international mail, garbage from international plane flights and ships, and live animal smuggling.

But Maine farms currently see international travelers as the nearest threat to their animals. Concerns about contaminated visitors caused the popular Smiling Hill Farm to close its doors to the public for the summer. At Wolfe’s Neck Farm in Freeport, which raises organic beef cattle, visitors who have returned from a trip overseas less than two weeks before their visit to the farm are turned away.

And all visitors go through a foot disinfectant bath before seeing the animals.

Spear said some farmers remain apprehensive about bringing their animals to fairs. But overall, he said, there has been a very positive response to the precautions the state is taking.

“I think we have taken a lot of precautions so far and the level of public awareness is much higher than it’s ever been,” Hoenig said.