Brucellosis infection forces Mozzarella off the menu as spread of disease intensifies
Pastor Dale Morgan
Brucellosis infection forces Mozzarella off the menu as spread of
disease intensifies *
By Nick Pisa
in Rome
TASTY mozzarella cheese may be off the menu for millions of Britons as
production is being threatened by an infectious disease spreading
through herds of water buffalo.
Buffalo milk mozzarella is a favourite of celebrity chefs such as Gordon
Ramsay and Nigella Lawson and even Prince Charles is a fan. But as a
result of the Brucellosis infection, more than 32,000 buffalo will have
to be slaughtered – causing a dip in production and affecting exports,
officials say.
Farmers in the Campania region around Naples are already comparing the
slaughter to the culling seen in Britain during the foot-and-mouth
crisis in 2001.
The Italian government has set up an emergency commission to try to
fight the spread of the illness and made more than 66 million (£42
million) available.
Hundreds of dairy farms which produce the "mozzarella di bufala" face
closure with a third of the region's estimated 100,000 livestock being
slaughtered.
Brucellosis is a contagious bacterial disease that leads to miscarriage,
infertility and reduced milk production.
It can also pass from infected milk to humans and there are 1,000
reported cases of transmission a year. Symptoms include fever, vomiting
and weight loss; however, the disease is killed off in the milk
pasteurising process.
Farmers fear that the Naples Mafia – the Camorra – will also siphon off
some of the money put aside to try and combat the infection.
The majority of the mozzarella- producing dairies in the Naples area are
controlled by the Camorra and some vets involved in vaccine programmes
have been threatened.
Some farmers have also been paid by the Camorra to hush up infections
and, as a result, the disease has spread unchecked.
Yesterday, Andrea Cozzolino, the Campania region's agriculture chief,
said: "This is a very serious problem and affects a third of the buffalo
population.
"We will be offering affected farmers compensation but we have to try
and stop the spread. Undoubtedly production will be affected as more
than 30,000 animals will have to be put down.
"This will lead to a shortage of supply and speculation which will put
prices up – mozzarella is not only a prime domestic product but it is
also one of Italy's main exports.
"This means that price rises will also be felt overseas and production
will be down as a result of the cull."
The full article contains 401 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Last Updated: 17 January 2008 10:20 PM