Tag Archives: FMD
FMD: What’s in a name?
Say “foot-and-mouth disease” really fast. (Foot-and-mouth disease.) Did you blur the “and” into an “in”? Every comedian wannabe is having a hay day with this one. As my father-in-law says, you don’t need to know much to have an opinion. … Continue reading
Time for an Insurance Check Up
Think your insurance carrier covers foot-and-mouth disease? Think again! When is the last time you reviewed your farm insurance coverage really closely? Reading your policy at bedtime may take care of insomnia, but will it ensure your policy meets your … Continue reading
Why worry about FMD here in Vermont?
Those of us working to build preparedness among farmers and farm communities to withstand a highly contagious animal disease disaster like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) often get questions along the lines of these: “Don’t the veterinarians already have a plan in … Continue reading
Is there an alternative to burial and burning?
Yes. Anyone who has looked at pictures from the UK, Japan, or South Korea during their confrontations with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the past decade has probably asked themselves whether “we” would be better prepared or more effective in our … Continue reading
Recent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks deserve a closer look
Taiwan 1997 Taiwan was free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) from 1929 until 1997. An outbreak in 1997 spread rapidly among swine herds resulting in the destruction of 3.8 million pigs and loss of export markets. Taiwan now produces 6 million … Continue reading
Global Events Prompt Local Vigilance
Sometimes I am asked why we should worry about foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the US when we have been free of the disease since 1929. News reports, feature articles, and press releases circulating in recent months provide ample justification. To … Continue reading
UK Livestock Disease Nightmare Began 10 Years Ago
This month marks the 10th anniversary since the diagnosis of FMD in the United Kingdom in February 2001. Several 10th anniversary articles have been published recently. Here is one that poignantly describes the pain and the resilience of those affected. … Continue reading
Exercising Your Mind
A month ago (8 June) at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, IA, more than 80 attendees representing production agriculture, law enforcement, media, and state and federal governments participated in a table-top exercise based on a simulated foot-and-mouth disease … Continue reading
Lessons Learned
Twenty years of safe deep water drilling did not excuse the oil industry for not being prepared for its recent disaster; 80 years without an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease does not let US livestock industries off the hook from having … Continue reading
Learning from Another’s Mistake
Photo by Louis Bedor III “That’s what a company is supposed to do is plan for a worst-case scenario,” Fearn-Banks said in an interview with Anne C. Mulkern of Greenwire for the New York Times, June 10, 2010. Kathleen Fearn-Banks … Continue reading
