United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2002-07-26 monographic deposited born digital 110 p. GA 1.13:GAO-02-808 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808 P0b002ee18037e394 f:d02808 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-24 GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808 GAO-02-808 Animal diseases Infectious diseases International trade Livestock products Emergency preparedness International relations United Kingdom Other Written Product A04062 The 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom decisively illustrated the devastation that this highly contagious animal disease can cause to a nation's livestock industry and other sectors of the economy. By the time the disease was eradicated, the United Kingdom had slaughtered over 4 million animals to control the disease, and sustained losses of $5 billion in the food and agricultural sectors, as well as comparable losses to its tourism industry. Before 2001, the United Kingdom had been FMD-free for almost 34 years; following the outbreak, the country was, until recently, generally restricted from participating in the international trade of live animals, and animal and other products that could transmit the FMD virus. The United States has adequate processes for obtaining information on foreign FMD outbreaks and providing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies and others with this information, but it does not have adequate processes for sharing this information with Customs. The United States recieves information on FMD outbreaks from USDA officials stationed in foreign countries, international agricultural and animal health organizations, and foreign governments directly. These officials collect a wide array of agricultural and animal health information about the countries and regions in which they are stationed, which allows the United States to have access to information on foreign FMD outbreaks in a timely manner. However, USDA's processes for disseminating information on foreign FMD outbreaks are uneven. U.S. measures to prevent the introduction of FMD are comparable to those used by other countries and have kept the United States free of the the disease for 75 years. Nevertheless, because of the nature of the disease and the risk inherent in the ever-increasing volume of international travel and trade, U.S. livestock remains vulnerable to the disease. USDA has a two-pronged approach to prevent FMD from reaching U.S. livestock. USDA tries to keep FMD as far as possible from U.S. borders by helping other countries control and eradicate the disease. USDA has developed and implemented specific preventive measures at ports of entry to ensure that international cargo, animals, passengers, and mail do not bring the disease into the United States. In the event of an FMD outbreak, the United States will face a number of challenges in mounting an effective and quick response, even though USDA and many states have developed and tested emergency animal disease response plans. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808/html/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808/pdf/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808.pdf GAO-02-808 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-GAO-02-808 Other Written Product GAO-02-808; Foot and Mouth Disease: To Protect U.S. Livestock, USDA Must Remain Vigilant and Resolve Outstanding Issues; Animal diseases Infectious diseases International trade Livestock products Emergency preparedness International relations United Kingdom