Why We Don't Vaccinate Against Foot And Mouth Disease In New Zealand
Vaccination may seem like an attractive alternative to killing and destroying animals. However there are important limitations to vaccination that need to be considered.
Vaccination presents an ongoing cost:
- Countries that have FMD, or that vaccinate to control the disease, cannot export meat and dairy products to the major markets. In New Zealand, any decision to live with the virus, or to vaccinate against it, would mean the end of our dairy, wool and meat exports, because our trading partners would no longer accept them. These exports constitute over 40% of New Zealand's export income. Over $10 billion dollars worth of annual exports would be affected.
- All susceptible livestock must be vaccinated 6-monthly, at a cost of about $15 per animal, based on current UK price estimates. FMD is not present and has never occurred in New Zealand.
- Vaccinated animals can become infected and remain carriers of disease without symptoms. Incomplete vaccination cover may mean that livestock still exhibit symptoms of the disease, so production is reduced and farm profitability is low.
There are seven types of FMD, each with several sub-types. Vaccination is only effective against the targeted type of FMD and for a limited period of time. If we vaccinated as a preventive measure, we could not know we were using the correct vaccine.
Developed countries of the Western world have chosen not to live with FMD in their livestock populations. These countries have determined that the costs incurred in keeping the disease out of the country and eradicating any outbreaks are outweighed by the increased productivity from FMD freedom.
The cost of eradicating an outbreak of FMD in New Zealand has been estimated to range from $100 to150 million, or about 1% of the annual value of exports that would be lost if we decided to live with the virus. Even if the cost of eradication were substantially higher than this estimate, eradication would still be likely to be cost-effective and therefore would be pursued if it was judged to be possible.
Page last updated: 7 August 2008