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FlashbacksCattlemen in England most surely had horrible flashbacks this week when foot and mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in herds near Guildford. It was 2001 when the farming community there was last devastated by FMD. At that time, more than six million animals were destroyed. The disease devastated the livestock industry in that country and producers have been slowly trying to make a recovery, but it hasn't been easy. What is easy, is for American farmers and ranchers to dismiss an English producers' problems as "out of sight, out of mind." They shouldn't, however. Instead, it should serve as a wake-up call. Can you imagine seeing your entire herd of cattle penned, euthanized, and buried? That's exactly what would happen if FMD found its way to your farm. And the really scary part is that it could happen through no fault of your own. FMD is highly contagious. To quickly and efficiently eradicate it before it spreads, officials must shut down livestock movement and euthanize entire herds. With the way that livestock moves throughout the Midwest and Plains, it is easy to see how an infected animal, trekked from one place to the next, driven past countless cattle pastures and pens, and mingled with other cattle at a salebarn or feedyard can infect thousands of others. Can you imagine what it would do to our industry? Millions of dollars would be lost in a matter of minutes. Flashback to the suspected case of FMD at a salebarn in Holton, Kan., in 2002. Markets plummeted and many lost a lot of money over what turned out to be nothing but mouth lesions from timothy grass hay. It brings to the forefront the importance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service plan for responding to a foreign animal disease. This week, USDA immediately placed restrictions on UK products from FMD susceptible species. But the response plan is in place and thankfully so. Should any producer suspect strange behavior in their animals, they should contact their local veterinarian immediately. Hopefully American producers will never have to deal with a highly contagious animal disease such as FMD. But the plight of cattle producers in England should remind us all that it can happen. Holly Martin can be reached by phone at 1-800-452-7171 ext. 1806 or e-mail at hmartin@hpj.com.
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