The Irish Embassy in Washington has sought an exemption for casein from the Republic, following the US ban on the importation of animals and animal products from the EU because of foot-and-mouth disease. The trade is worth over $100 million annually to the Irish economy.
Casein is a protein from milk used for cheese-making and in confectionery. It comes under the ban imposed by the US Department of Agriculture on Tuesday, which is subject to exemptions before being given the force of law.
The US ban, applied to all unpasteurised dairy products, affects $294 million in EU imports and would have the biggest impact on pork from the Netherlands and Denmark. Beef from the EU has already been banned because of BSE.
Irish exports of pork to the US are small, running to only $10 million a year. Chocolate cream exported from Cadburys in Dublin to Hershey chocolate makers in the US was not included in the ban.
Many items, including most cheeses and cured or cooked meats, are not affected because they are heated in a way that kills the virus, a US Department of Agriculture spokesman said. Yogurt imports are also excluded as they are made from pasteurised milk.
The USDA yesterday announced a new set of measures at air, sea and road points of entry, including the inspection of passenger bags and cargo and national and international surveillance, to "keep this country free of diseases and pests".
Passengers from the UK, France and Argentina, the three countries where foot-and-mouth disease has been identified, will be subject to special surveillance. Disinfectant sprays will be used on the footwear of people who have been on farm land, and luggage will be liable to inspection for foodstuffs.
The USDA distributed a "Don't Pack a Pest" video cartoon to US TV networks with the message: "If you bring back gifts for a friend, fruit, meat, a plant, birds, or animals, you could infect the whole country with powerful microscopic organisms that could spread, destroying crops and livestock."
Foot-and-mouth in Europe is already having an economic impact in the US. It sent soybean and corn prices tumbling because of fears the disease could lead to wholesale slaughtering of pigs in Europe, depressing markets for feed ingredients.
In a clarification of its ban, the USDA said it was "temporarily prohibiting the importation of swine and ruminant products from the EU". The US suspended all meat and animal imports from Britain on February 21st and ordered stepped-up checks of travellers arriving from the UK. Canada also banned meat imports from the EU and Argentina.
The EU office in Washington expressed surprise that the US import ban extended to all 15 member countries. "Thirteen EU states are disease-free. We have measures in place to keep it that way," spokeswoman Ms Maeve O'Beirne said.
