The recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom has identified the vulnerability of intensive livestock industries to the introduction of rapidly spreading disease, whether newly emerged such as porcine circovirus and Nipah,or traditional threats such as FMD and hog cholera. In many of the major producing countries, husbandry practices have concentrated the different stages of production into the hands of large companies, frequently localized in different geographical areasfor each stage. Young pigs or calves may be bred in one country or state, and then moved to another for fattening and then another for breeding, milk production or slaughter. Superimposed on this is a reduction of government controlled disease surveillance, as privatisation and financial cutbacks reduce the veterinary field service.
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