How much should policymakers invest in controlling animal diseases that spread across national borders, who should pay, and will intervention really work?
A researcher at The Pirbright Institute is one of a team of seven authors who have drafted a new handbook for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) offering evidence-based answers to these pressing questions.
‘Economic analysis for progressive control of foot-and-mouth disease and other transboundary animal diseases’ provides a framework for addressing animal health challenges and optimizing control policies for the future.
Dr Georgina Limon-Vega, Group Leader in Applied Epidemiology at Pirbright, hopes her contribution to the guidance will provide decision-makers in government, the private sector, veterinary practices, researchers and farm managers with the tools they need to make informed, effective choices.
“The handbook has been developed to support those conducting economic analyses concerning high-impact, transboundary animal diseases (TADs),” said Dr. Limon-Vega.
“While our focus is foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as countries move along the Progressive Control Pathway for FMD, the approaches presented are relevant and useful when considering other TADs.”
FMD is a highly contagious viral infection of cloven-hoofed animals that continues to affect many countries. Economic losses are substantial, with global direct production losses and vaccination costs in endemic regions estimated to be £15 billion annually.
“Effective animal health decision-making requires sound data and economic assessments, but these are often underutilized to inform disease control in livestock. The handbook tries to address this problem by delving into a range of economic assessment techniques, offering step-by-step guidance on how to collect and analyse the data necessary for efficient and sustainable disease management.”
Read the handbook
McLaws, M., Knight-Jones, T., Compston, P., et al. (2025). Economic analysis for progressive control of foot-and-mouth disease and other transboundary animal diseases. FAO Animal Production and Health Handbooks, No. 2. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd5268en
