War and civil unrest (including peacetime maneuvers)

In a combat zone, livestock face unique dangers. Historically, (and this is still true in some under-developed countries) an army foraged for its food from local sources, commandeering whatever it needed to feed its soldiers.

Even with modern, well-fed troops, local livestock becomes an emergency food source for civilians who are unable to get fresh supplies due to the military situation. Also, the occasional stray artillery round finds a single animal or a herd, or animals get caught in cross fire. Animals get caught in razor wire entanglements, step on land mines and booby traps and generally get in the way, suffering all sorts of injuries.

In peacetime in the United States, the most likely scenario is fences being torn down by military vehicles on maneuver. In such cases, the military will have a Public Affairs officer contact all whose land his unit crossed and set in motion the process to get the farmers paid for damages.

Epidemic

Of all disasters likely to hit the livestock of the United States, perhaps none is more terrifying than an epidemic of some ruminant disease for which there is no cure. The panic-induced slaughter of a few herds of cows and sheep over “Mad Cow” Disease in recent years is nothing when you think of the possibility of a highly-contagious, rapidly-acting fatal disease that kills in a few hours. Such a disease could wipe out our nation’s meat supply in only a few days.

Foreign diseases arrive in many forms and in many different ways. Importation of infected or exposed animals, even dirt on someone’s shoes could introduce new and potentially dangerous diseases to the U.S. Perhaps one of the more interesting ways diseases travel is by hurricane. After Hurricane Dennis in 2005, animals as far north as Missouri developed a strain of pneumonia previously known only on the islands Caribbean. Although prompt treatment with powerful antibiotics took care of it, animals vaccinated against several strains of pneumonia became infected.

Outbreaks of diseases such as foot and mouth disease, vesicular stomatitis, and other viral and bacterial menaces are being monitored world-wide by the USDA Disease Research Center on Plum Island, NY. The center on Plum Island has partnered with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to constantly seek methods of early detection of these and other diseases in an effort to head off acts of agroterrorism before our food supply is threatened.

What can producers do to help prevent an epidemic? Use extreme caution when importing animals from foreign countries. Close your herd as soon as practical. And most importantly, report any unusual health problem to your veterinarian immediately.

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