Animal disease outbreaks impose costs that reach far beyond production losses. Animal suffering, large-scale culling, trade disruption, economic uncertainty and the psychological impact on farmers and veterinarians all form part of the hidden burden. This was the central message of the European Parliament event The True Cost of Animal Disease: Animal Welfare, Public Health and Sustainability in the EU, organised on 1 July by FVE and Animal Advocacy & Food Transition (AAFT), with the support of MEPs Tilly Metz and Paulo do Nascimento Cabral.
Beyond the immediate losses
Opening the discussion, MEP Tilly Metz stressed that disease outbreaks should not be seen as inevitable events beyond human control. ‘We often speak about animal disease outbreaks as if they were natural disasters. Yet they are not accidents of nature, but consequences of breeding systems, high stocking densities, chronic stress and the constant movement of animals.’
Economic data presented by Jonathan Rushton (University of Edinburgh) showed that the direct and indirect costs of disease outbreaks frequently exceed the investment needed for prevention. Also, mass culling without strict biosecurity measures was pointless, he said. ‘Getting rid of the host animal but not the pathogen is problematic.’
Voices from the field
Veterinarians and farmers from several countries illustrated the human impact of outbreaks. Discussing the recent lumpy skin disease outbreak in France, UEVP vice president Julien Le Tual noted: ‘France contained the disease at a cost – for farmers, vets and authorities,’ highlighting herd losses, emotional distress, heavy workloads and complex logistics. His conclusion was clear: ‘Make rapid eradication less dependent on mass culling.’
From Albania, a country with predominantly small-scale family farms, Gloria Hylviu (Albanian Authority of Veterinary and Plant Protection) echoed this. ‘Behind every culled animal there is a farmer, a vet and a community striving to recover.’
Vaccination and stronger veterinary systems
A recurring theme was the need to shift resources from emergency response towards preparedness. FVE President Siegfried Moder called for greater investment in rural areas and broad implementation of animal health visits, biosecurity and vaccination strategies against diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza.
'We cannot vaccinate all animals against all diseases forever,' recalled Francisco Reviriego-Gordejo (DG Sante). 'We must set our priorities.' The debate acknowledged the challenges vaccination can create for international trade, but most speakers agreed that animal health and welfare must remain the primary consideration.
A One Health investment
Prevention, participants agreed, is not only better for animal health and welfare – it is also the most sustainable and cost-effective strategy for the future. Commenting after the event, UEVP President Volker Moser stressed that it is time to move from declarations to action: ‘Support for veterinary systems should be viewed not as a cost, but as an investment in One Health, delivering tangible benefits for farmers, society and the economy.’
Recordings of the event will become available shortly.
(photo ©Marian Strinoiu/Unsplash)