I suspect a lot of people were chilled at the thought of so many farm animals mooing and bleating their way to slaughter. Here were Mary's little lambs, fleece as soiled as dirty snow, killed by the thousands and dumped by the bulldozer full in an effort to stem the disease's relentless advance. With vegan diets yet to catch on big-time, a cow's fate is sealed one way or the other. All it takes is vaccination, the same thing we do to ward off measles and mumps in our kids. There is another face to foot and mouth disease.
Lower production means more time to market, which translates into higher input costs.
With vast herds and lots of livelihoods at stake, a few pounds here and there add up fast. Brown has worked on foot and mouth disease for years, including a stint at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's infectious disease containment facility on Plum Island, in Long Island Sound. Brown thinks foot and mouth justifies extreme action, and hard facts back her up. It's more contagious than any other disease known to exist. Although vaccination sounds like a humane preventative, even that solution isn't simple.