Technology, public policy and control of transboundary livestock diseases in our lifetimes

There are no technological barriers to eliminating major transboundary livestock diseases. 'Elimination' means that diseases no longer threaten livestock in the developed world nor the livelihoods of hundreds of millions of small farmers elsewhere. The problem is not lack of technology but failure of public policy. Developed country policy should actively combat accidental and intentional introductions; protect livestock against future advanced biological weapons; minimise the economic impacts after introduction by any means; abandon mass slaughter as a control tool; engage in disease removal in pursuit of a global economic, societal, and environmental agenda; and make appropriate national and cooperative investments. This is the moment for policy change because transboundary livestock disease elimination now involves powerful government ministries outside ministries of agriculture that are concerned about disease threats from many sources. Change can acquire support from the public and many organisations with shared interests. New policy is needed to change the belief that government is solely responsible for excluding disease, responding to introductions, and compensating farmers for losses during eradication. Effective border control and domestic preparedness programmes depend upon government and industry working together with costs falling upon those responsible in the form of 'user fees'. Compensation for stock slaughtered during outbreak control should be covered by private insurance. Government and industry should share the costs of an effective surveillance, diagnostic and response system. Surveillance must achieve or approach real-time understanding of the disease situation at all stages and in all places and be accessible over the Internet by diverse government agencies and stakeholders in-country and abroad. Traditional responses must be abandoned because they encourage terrorism. Regulatory approval processes must be modernized because they cannot keep up with new technology.