| Jan. 13, 2012
CONTACT: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu
WTAMU Professor Receives Funds to Research Animal Disease Outbreak
CANYON, Texas—In the movie, Hud, a foot and mouth disease outbreak resulted in a pit being dug, and cattle being driven into the pit, killed and buried. If a similar incident were to happen in the Texas Panhandle where three million head of cattle are fed, a large enough pit couldn’t be dug fast enough to contain the outbreak. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has contracted with West Texas A&M University’s Dr. Robert DeOtte, professor of civil and environmental engineering, to research options for such a scenario and awarded him $522,522 for a project titled “Animal Disease Outbreak Emergency Response Logistical Infrastructure – Texas Region.” DeOtte will identify transportation options, disease-free status in the environment and animal population, alternative disease control strategies and restocking standards. His research will be used by APHIS to establish policies for the entire United States. If an incident of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) like the one recently experienced on the Korean peninsula was handled as inadequately as that epidemic was, losses to the cattlemen, the rural communities and the American population could easily total billions of dollars. Whole communities could disappear, and the ability to feed the American people would be severely challenged. The United States has not had a case of FMD since 1929 but with the modern global economy and extensive air travel, it may not be possible to prevent introduction of the disease. Coupling that with the realization that much of this region is classified as tornado alley and is prone to blizzards, ice storms, wildfires and severe drought, it is obvious how vital it is to understand the relationship of the communities with livestock production. The researchable and important questions are: What is the ability of rural agricultural communities to recover from catastrophic livestock disasters? What is the ability to dispose of carcasses? What criteria is required for recovery from disease status, including monitoring for disease and establishing criteria to begin restocking animals? How can we quantify our ability to dispose of animal carcasses? DeOtte’s work involving the United States food security has placed him on numerous national review panels such as FAD PReP Guidelines for Appraisal and Compensation, FAD PReP Guidelines for Beef Feedlot Industry Manual and USDA-APHIS-VS National Steering Committee for a Secure Milk Supply. He has served as chair of the Panhandle Agrosecurity Working Group (PAWG), as a member of the Panhandle Regional Emergency Management Advisory Committee (PREMAC) and is both qualified and well positioned to perform this research. A critical issue for those working on agricultural disasters is how can we respond if there is a corresponding incident and resources are directed toward that. It is important to explore that possibility. More than 450,000 beef cattle are housed near and within the city of Hereford. At an average value or $1,000 per animal, the cost of lost livestock would be on the order of $450 million, not counting the costs of labor and equipment to accomplish the task. The potential environmental impact is staggering. The intent of this study is to significantly reduce the cost of response and eliminate the need for such a profound elimination of livestock while enhancing resiliency. For more information, contact DeOtte at 806-651-8780.
—WTAMU— | 