Horse races, livestock fairs, local festivals and parades have all been banned in England and Ireland, for example. Ironically, farmers in affected areas cannot even go the polls to express their reaction, since they are forbidden to travel locally. Tourism is being severely affected by the FMD epidemic, since many of the more popular beauty spots are now off limits. Travelers leaving affected countries are subject to search at other ports of entry and are required to undergo disinfection procedures. Norwegian authorities even went so far as to cancel its annual reindeer races.
British authorities say the problem is likely to get far worse before it gets better.
The worst case scenario could involve the destruction of more than half of the 60 million livestock animals in Great Britain alone. A vaccine against FMD has been available for many years. As with the flu vaccine, the FMD vaccine is formulated for specific subtypes associated with particular outbreaks. The vaccine has been proven effective in protecting livestock. In short, it appears that economics and politics are to blame.