The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has denied reports that emerged yesterday [Wednesday] that foot and mouth disease (FMD) had been found in five cattle at a livestock market in Holton, Kansas.
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USDA spokeswoman Alisa Harrison explained in a statement that the mouth blisters, discovered on Tuesday during routine inspections, tested negative for FMD at a USDA animal disease laboratory in Plum Island, New York.
“There is absolutely no reason to believe there is foot and mouth disease in Kansas,” she said.
The highly contagious FMD has not been found in the US since 1929, and yesterday fears of its potentially devastating effects on US agriculture caused shares in many food companies, particularly selling beef and beef-related products, to plummet on the New York Stock Exchange.
Burger behemoth McDonald’s saw its shares fall 99 cents to US$27.36, while Wendy’s International restaurant chain slipped 68 cents to US$30.95. Pork and meat processor Smithfield Foods fell 26 cents to US$24.58. ConAgra Foods Inc., which controls a beef and pork operation, was down 24 cents, or 1%, to US$22.60.
