Disease Fears May Bar Import of Military Gear
Large military equipment from Britain and the Netherlands might be barred from exercises at Ft. Bliss next month because of the threat of foot-and-mouth disease.
Defense Department officials have forbidden transport of the equipment by land from Beaumont, near Houston, to Ft. Bliss, a state agriculture official said Saturday. The equipment has yet to be loaded on cargo ships to come to the United States.
Officials fear the cargo might be contaminated with foot-and-mouth, and overland transport could bring the equipment into contact with animal herds.
The restrictions are part of the government’s effort to protect the U.S. from foot-and-mouth disease, which has affected livestock in Europe, particularly Britain.
Texas has the country’s largest herds of cattle, sheep and goats, animals that are susceptible to foot-and-mouth disease.
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