Impact of foreign animal diseases at the industry level

Industry-level impacts of highly contagious foreign animal diseases can be extensive and disruptive. These impacts are the sum of disease effects on the separate economic units that comprise the input supply, production, processing and marketing system of that industry. These industry-level effects would not include government costs or costs associated with disrupted travel or tourism or general economic activity. Direct impacts are those that are related to production and result in direct economic consequences for animal protein producers. Indirect impacts are consequences that include loss of trade, market and consumer confidence, among others. While it is prudent for governments to identify the costs of effective surveillance and prevention, these costs are often very small compared to the total cost of response and recovery associated with a disease outbreak. It is important that the effectiveness of those prevention programmes not be compromised because of other short-term priorities perceived to be more urgent.