Agriculture ministers from Belize and Mexico are to meet next month to formalise an agreement that would allow for the trade of animals and products of animal origin between the two countries.

A Belize government statement gave no exact date for the meeting in July, but said that it follows two days of talks here at which the matter was discussed by technical officers from both countries.

It said as a result of the discussions, Belize has since ordered that the "entire national cattle herd be tested for tuberculosis and brucellosis" and that the technical requirements for the export of cattle to Mexico were developed.

Ensuring exports

The Ministry of Agriculture said it is also ensuring that Belize is able to export meats (beef) and value-added meat products and that "cattle farmers are being informed of the market access opportunity and the requirements they need to meet to export cattle to Mexico."

The statement said that Mexico would provide technical assistance in training local veterinarians, laboratory diagnosis of certain animal diseases and has "offered to assist with veterinary personnel to conduct the national sweep to evaluate the status of bovine tuberculosis in Belize."