Overview: Welfare analysis of foot and mouth disease in cattle, a devastating viral disease causing severe oral and podal pain.
Key Welfare Facts
FMD causes severe blistering and ulceration of the mouth, feet, and teats, causing intense pain in affected animals.
Animals with FMD experience severe lameness, inability to eat, and systemic fever causing prolonged suffering.
Lactating cows face mastitis complications from painful teat lesions and rapid milk accumulation from refusal to suckle.
Stamping-out policies involve mass culling of affected and contact animals, causing population-level welfare events.
Welfare during FMD responses requires rapid, humane slaughter methods to minimise prolonged suffering.
Trade restrictions following FMD outbreaks cause severe economic stress that indirectly affects animal management capacity.
Welfare Assessment
FMD causes intense welfare compromise in affected animals. Prevention through stringent biosecurity, surveillance, and effective international disease reporting systems minimises the risk of outbreaks that cause suffering at population scale.
What You Can Do
Support international FMD surveillance and reporting systems to prevent disease spread
Maintain strict biosecurity standards to prevent disease introduction on farm premises
Ensure emergency response plans include rapid, humane slaughter protocols for affected animals
Advocate for international cooperation on FMD control and vaccine access