LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dairy farmer Chuck Ahlem wants to know as soon as possible what he should do if there is an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.
Ahlem has 4,000 milking Jerseys in California, and his family also owns Hilmar Cheese, one of the largest producers of natural cheese in the United States. He works with 240 other family farms to export to 40 countries.
“One outbreak of any disease could turn the entire operation up-side down overnight,” he said at a foot-and-mouth disease forum at the National Institute for Animal Agriculture meeting in Louisville April 15-18.
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Ahlem understands quarantines and “stop movement” orders, but he still wants to know what would happen to his cows and the 9.5 million litres his company processes each day at plants in California and Texas.
Halting business and the effects on animal welfare were among concerns discussed at the forum.
The announcement of a positive case would leave most producers in shock. Many would not know what it looked like, much less what they were supposed to do.
Individual farms with positive cases would receive ample information on euthanasia, disposal and quarantine from state veterinarians, but those outside the infected zone might be on their own.
“The cases I worry about would be producers in an area that doesn’t necessarily have the resources from the state to tell them what is going on and what to do,” said Patrick Webb, who handles emergency planning for the National Pork Board in the U.S.
The pork board has created an online fact sheet for producers, and there is an ongoing program to build traceability information.
Other countries halt all movement in an area designated as a disease zone, but Webb argued that livestock haulers should be allowed to carry animals to their final destination on the day a case is announced.
The risk to animal welfare is critical if trucks had to pull over with a load of pigs.
He said 600,000 to one million pigs are on the road each day in the U.S. Animals travel from northern Canada to southern Mexico.
The disease would have been circulating for a week by the time it was announced, so little would be gained by stopping movement immediately.
“It is a welfare disaster waiting to happen if they are stopped too long,” he said.
Consumers also need assurances that their pets and food are safe, said Stacey Stevens, head of communications for the National Dairy Council.
Commodity organizations have programs to talk with consumers through direct contact or social media, which could reach millions of people quickly, she said.
Producers and veterinarians also need to be briefed on how to provide information, she added.
They may be the face of the crisis and would be considered trusted sources to talk to the media and public.
People are information seekers, so every commodity group needs to have clear, ongoing information on their websites.
