Farmers and cosmetics

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations warned on March 13 that the livestock disease foot-and-mouth disease (in English called much more explicitly - soccer and mouth desease) could affect many countries around the world and called on the international community to implement the strictest possible control measures. The announcement calls for the introduction of strict controls on immigrants and tourists who contribute to the spread of disease, as well as stronger surveillance of food imports, including food carried by passengers and waste from planes and ships. Although the laws regulating international relations already provide for a ban on importing food from countries where a similar disease prevails, on the same day the USA banned the import of meat from the European Union, while Australia extended the ban to the import of dairy products and live livestock.

In the countries of the European Union, infected livestock are being massively destroyed, as well as all animals that came into contact with them - in Great Britain alone, since the outbreak of the epidemic at the end of last month, around 60.000 animals have been killed, and the final figure is predicted to be around half million and that the army will have to help in removing the remains. As far as the meat trade is concerned, the situation is unlikely to change significantly, since the principle of "avoid meat whenever possible" has been a European trend for several years (since the emergence of "mad cow" disease). However, this epidemic will cause additional damage to the already vulnerable livestock farmers - that is why the European Union has promised monetary compensation for the destroyed livestock, and in particularly vulnerable areas, churches ring bells every day at noon in support of farmers. Apart from farmers and the branches of the economy that depend directly on them, it seems that the cosmetic industry will also be quite damaged. Namely, since the British authorities established that the tissues of infected animals (some with mad cow disease, some with foot-and-mouth disease) were found in cosmetic products exported to more than 70 countries, Taiwan, China and Japan banned the import of these products from 13 European countries. union. In addition, there are even prison terms for traders who do not remove already purchased products from Europe from the counters.

What is happening with us during that time?

PRECAUTION: Due to the epidemic, the border veterinary inspection raised daily security measures to a higher level. A complete control of raw materials and livestock is carried out, at the border crossings control of passengers and luggage, and in the case of arrivals from countries where the disease is registered, disinfection of passengers and passenger vehicles is also applied. Disinfection in this case implies that all vehicles entering Yugoslavia pass through disinfection barriers, that is, concrete basins containing disinfectant. Passengers are required to soak their footwear in a two percent solution of sodium hydroxide, while their hands are washed with mild acids. According to a veterinarian from Belgrade, the tightening of control in the markets is not necessary since the disease has not been registered in our livestock. During the last major epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease in 1996, the spread of the disease to our livestock was prevented by the application of these measures, with the fact that, in addition to the above, the import of meat from Greece was prohibited - this time the ban is not necessary since Greece is not yet on the list of endangered countries.

The recommendations of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization have been complied with, so it could be said that we are fully in line with the rest of the world from a formal point of view. However, there are differences - while Europe (even now, and during the last few years) is literally paranoid when it comes to cattle diseases, here they hardly attract attention. One of the possible explanations is that, accustomed to dozens of deaths per day on this or that battlefield in the immediate environment, no disease seems as terrible as it should. Getting used to death may have led to reconciliation with the disease, of course, until it happens to us alone. Probably because of this, in response to the question that gossip magazines are particularly interested in these days: "Are you afraid of mad cow disease?", pop stars and "ordinary" citizens most often say that they are "more afraid of crazy people" or that "besides them so much madness, only mad cows are missing".

On the other hand, Europe's fear of livestock diseases was preceded by the long-term building of a cult of healthy life, which in our country is still considered a fanaticism of rare individuals. Namely, even before the epidemic, in most developed countries, vegetarianism became a more than desirable way of eating, smoking was taboo, and going to the gym was a daily obligation. During that time, Yugoslavia mainly fed itself with piglets from the trunk and "refugee cans" purchased on the market, it reached the very top of the world's top list in terms of the number of smokers, and it had neither nerves, nor time, nor money for recreation. When these differences in attitudes towards one's own health are taken into account, it is understandable that every (even the current) epidemic of livestock diseases is greeted by Europe with fear, and Yugoslavia with the standard slogan: "It won't really hit me/us, will it?"

Even the political connotations, which usually intrigue the general public, did not work in the case of livestock diseases. The theory that "the Americans are trying to poison both the Europeans and us" was significantly less than usual, and not even the statement of Frana Pejkovski, assistant professor of the Faculty of Agriculture in Skopje, that "Albania deliberately transmitted foot and mouth disease to Macedonia" (Srna, 25. July 1996) was not further commented.

INFORMEDNESS: Although domestic media reported on the epidemic that swept Europe, there is still a misconception among the public that foot and mouth disease are two diseases. In fact, it is a viral disease of domestic and wild ungulates whose name comes from the fact that it attacks the muzzle or hooves. In addition, mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth disease are often identified. "Those two diseases cannot even be compared." BSE (mad cow disease, TS) is an infection caused by the prion protein, which has a long clinical course and attacks the central nervous system. Foot-and-mouth disease, as a viral disease, spreads easily, reaches large proportions and causes changes in the mouth, hooves and udders of livestock. Unlike the prion, which survives, the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease easily perishes during processing," says our interlocutor. In addition, "mad cow" disease was fatal for (as far as is known) eighty people, while the treatment of foot-and-mouth disease usually passes without major complications.

Despite all these misconceptions, in his opinion, Yugoslavs are well informed about livestock diseases, with the fact that they should be reminded of the danger from time to time: "Of course, we should not create panic, as panic can be counterproductive." Infectious diseases deserve continuous public attention, and not just for the occasional increase in newspaper circulation. The information must not be sensational, but alarming as much as necessary."

Of course, in our case, the question arises as to what should be alarming enough - in these areas there is still a problem of the most basic hygiene, although even in elementary school you learn what kind of diseases can befall you if, for example, you don't wash your hands. An unofficial survey conducted in the Radio Belgrade building in the mid-eighties showed that out of 100 people who enter one of the busiest toilets in that building, 90 do not wash their hands! And media people are considered, if nothing else, at least informed.

In addition, the obvious examples here are sometimes not alarming enough: in the Belgrade markets, cheese is sold from uncovered pans of dubious purity, the peasants usually put it on the counter without gloves. Should we be reminded of the story about the toilets at Radio Belgrade? The already mentioned "pigs from the trunk" are sold even when the daily temperature is around 20 degrees. True, these days they are not sold as publicly as in the winter, but the "dealers" work - a potential buyer is taken to the parking lot to see the goods wrapped in nylon and placed in a trunk where the temperature is much higher than the daytime. In addition, the seller who offered the pig to your reporter blew his nose in, let's say, an illegal way. Even in that case, there are still buyers, and the question remains whether it is because of the more affordable price of the goods that are sold "over the counter" or because of the aforementioned Google-ness of everything.

Despite indifference, unhygiene and carelessness, livestock and other infectious diseases mostly bypass us. Official state bodies express their optimism every day and claim that it will remain so. Those who are more skeptical, based on past experience, still believe that sooner or later every trouble must arrive here. On Radio Index's Cloud in Bermuda show, a message was read these days: "All that, my dear, will be covered by snow, foot and mouth disease." For now, the only thing that is certain is that we avoided the snow.