Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) – Canada hasn’t seen a case of foot and mouth disease since 1952, but that doesn’t mean the threat is lessened.

Leigh Rosengren, Chief Veterinary Officer at the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA), says recent outbreaks in Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia are raising red flags globally, including here in Canada.

“In Germany, there was a case reported in January, the first case in Europe in many, many years. Hungary and Slovakia both broke later in the spring, and both are in the process of finishing the stamping out process. Most parts of the world are endemic, and have been for a long time, but they also have a new strain circulating,” says Rosengren.

The Beef Cattle Research Council is raising awareness of the disease and its potentially catastrophic effects on the country’s agricultural industry and the economy.

“Canada has maybe become a little complacent with this disease,” she explains. “There were gaps in producer awareness and education. We have no frame of reference within our livestock memory just how bad this would be.”

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Rosengren stresses the fallout would bring much of the country’s livestock sector to a screeching halt.

“It’s a devastating disease for the infected animals. The entire herd would be depopulated, and all herds in the area would be quarantined. Our borders would be closed to all movement of acceptable live animals, as well as products from those animals. We would not be exporting beef, pork, milk, and other animals and meat.”

A 2001 outbreak in the UK caused widespread culling and economic damage, and Rosengren says it took a personal toll on many farmers. “When we look at the experience from Britain from 25 years ago, there are people still suffering from the mental health burden from that,” she says. “We need to understand it would be devastating from an animal health front, an economic front, and a personal front.”

Foot and mouth disease is spread from country to country by importing infected animals from endemic countries, something Canada does not do. It can also come from contaminated meat, hides and other animal byproducts, and even from somebody’s footwear or contaminated clothing if they had been exposed to it in another country. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is the country’s first line of defence against the disease, and it’s why travellers must declare if they’ve been on a farm upon their return and comply with all CBSA requirements, including:

• Declaring all meat, dairy or other animal products that you are bringing back to Canada to the CBSA
• Avoiding contact with susceptible animals, including farm and zoo animals, and wildlife in national or provincial parks, for 5 to 14 days after returning to Canada
• Disinfecting and cleaning all gear, including shoes and tools that have touched soil

“If foot and mouth disease were to come to North America, it would not be business as usual,” adds Rosengren. “There would be a significant business interruption for everybody in the industry and utterly devastating for those involved. The situation in Europe is a reminder that we can’t be complacent. We need to be prepared. We need to be thinking about this disease, be ready to respond, and be proactive every single day to keep it out.”

Rosengren adds that having these same biosecurity measures in place when it comes to foreign workers as well.

To learn more, you can visit beefresearch.ca/FMD