Foot and Mouth Disease

Are We Ready if an Outbreak Occurs?

Abstract

North American red meat industries are highly integrated. Most of this integration has been driven to maximize efficiency and historically, animals have been cheaper to move to the sources of coarse grain than the transport of feeds to the origin of animals. When a foreign animal disease occurs in a previously disease-free area, certain pre-existing trade patterns may result in the massive killing of healthy animals as a consequence of loss of access to live animal markets in other states or countries. In Canada, time-sensitive and resource demanding livestock, such as early weaned piglets (10 lb; 4.5 kg) and feeder pigs (50 lb; 22. 7 kg), will be critically affected. Cattle movement is far less time-sensitive than swine. Governments of European countries have anticipated welfare slaughter as part of their disease eradication preparedness. The concept of welfare slaughter, and the resource implications thereof, have not been included in current published disease emergency planning documents in Canada or the United States. Public outcry related to a disease eradication crisis will be focused on the animal welfare problem, and not disease eradication. If the disease is foot and mouth or classical swine fever, the nature of the emergency will be focused on animal welfare, not disease eradication. The national veterinary infrastructure in both Canada and the USA currently tasked to prepare for animal emergencies have been planning for the wrong emergency.