Preparing for, and responding to foreign animal diseases is a critical safeguard for animal health, public health, the environment and the nation’s economy. A foreign animal disease outbreak in the United States could have significant consequences to animal health; threaten animal agriculture productivity; and impact the security, cost and safety of our nation’s food supply.
The spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from wild birds or poultry into dairy cattle earlier this year in the U.S. stresses the real threat of zoonotic and foreign animal diseases and the ensuing turmoil and adverse economic impacts to the industry and nation. Public animal health officials have struggled to limit the spread and extent of the disease, despite prior planning efforts and strategies for control, due to unforeseen and rapidly changing variables. Add in variable media coverage and some inaccurate social speculation, and the result is a perfect recipe for operational and economic disruption.
The 2014 and 2015 HPAI outbreaks resulted in an estimated $3.3 billion impact on the U.S. economy, with $1.6 billion in direct losses from depopulated poultry flocks. In part, this was a consequence of partial or full trade embargoes from over 30 countries; there was a reported decline in poultry and egg exports of 14% from January to June 2015. Foot-and-mouth disease could result in economic losses between $15 to $228 billion, depending on the extent and duration of the outbreak.
Suffice it to say, when a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak is detected in the U.S., it will no longer be business as usual. Rather, the livestock and dairy industries will be in crisis management nationwide regardless of where the initial outbreak is detected. Mitigating the operational and economic effects on your business before crisis occurs is why the continuity of business plans were developed by and for the industry. Having such plans in place, establishing premises identification numbers (PINs) for traceability, and completing enhanced biosecurity plans could mean the difference between remaining in business or not. This is not included simply to be alarming, but rather to stress the importantance of this issue to the future of family farms and ranches.
Rapid outbreak diagnosis with containment and eradication decreases the potential cost and is the goal of United States Department of Agriculture – Animal Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services (USDA-APHIS VS). A key component of containment and eradication is identification and traceability of livestock. This is why PINs are so important. APHIS has developed the Foreign Animal Disease Preparedness and Response (FAD PReP) strategy to contain and eradicate disease. The foot-and-mouth disease response plan or Red Book is the APHIS plan specific to foot-and-mouth disease.
The state/federal steps include stopping the movement of animals and their products for a period of time to prevent the geographic spread of disease. Exports will also stop, which will have serious economic and livestock inventory impacts on the industry. Animals known to be infected may be “stamped out,” (also called mass depopulation). Animals suspected of infection can be tested. Emergency vaccination programs may also be used.
The producer has some options to help control the disease locally and nationally. The first is biosecurity over the producer’s herd/flock regarding the movement of animals, people, supplies, etc. The producer gets to decide how much risk they are willing to take when it comes to disease spread. In a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, it is the producer’s responsibility to implement biosecurity protocols to protect their herd from exposure. Keeping records of management activities is also important to document and determine if their animals may have been exposed. Monitoring animals for disease becomes crucially important in a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Movement restrictions of susceptible livestock species is one strategy for the control and containment of a foreign animal disease during a U.S. outbreak. A 72-hour national movement standstill of susceptible species, semen, embryos and wool has been recommended by USDA during state/national exercises. All livestock movements with susceptible species (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats) may be requested/ordered to get to their destination and stop. No new movements of livestock would be allowed for a period of time.
During this time, regulatory control areas around infected premises will be designated. The infected, suspect and contact farms will be managed under the guidance in the various red books or response plans. Livestock operations affected by movement restrictions yet not infected with the disease will need to restart movement as soon as possible to support business continuity that is consistent with mitigating the risk of disease spreading. The guidance in the Secure Food Supply Plans are for operations with no evidence of the foot-and-mouth disease infection located in a control area to prepare to meet movement permit requirements while reducing the risk of spreading the virus.
Producers should prepare contingency plans to manage their cattle and sheep operations (for feed, water, etc.) if they are not allowed to move animals for several days to weeks. The Secure Beef Supply (SBS) Plan includes guidance for producers to develop operation-specific contingency plans to implement during a foreign animal disease outbreak when movement restrictions are in place. The five-page contingency document walks producers through topics such as managing cattle inventory; planning for potential movements once they are restarted; financial considerations; enhanced biosecurity; managing cattle health; and developing a communication plan with employees, suppliers, receivers, buyers, packers and animal health officials. A well-developed and implemented contingency plan should aim to support the operation’s biosecurity, promote animal well-being, maintain herd health, and minimize economic losses.
In addition to the APHIS response plan, both the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and American Sheep Industry Association have collaborated with livestock producers, state and local government officials, and Kansas and Iowa State Universities to develop a continuity of business plans for cattle and sheep during a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. These documents , along with the Public Land Grazing Guidance documents (https://www.securebeef.org/beef-producers/public-land-grazing/) and the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan public land grazing guidance documents (https://securesheepwool.org/producers/public-land-grazing/) are of particular interest to Nevada livestock producers in preparation for a disease outbreak. The final article in this series offers more resources and tips to producers in preparation for foot-and-mouth disease and maintaining continuity of business.
