Rome - Countries around the world are facing a growing threat from transboundary animal diseases (TADs), including New World Screwworm, African Swine Fever, Avian Influenza, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, and Peste des Petits Ruminants, as well as other emerging zoonotic threats such as Andes hantavirus, Ebola, and Nipah. As diseases and pests move more rapidly across borders, countries are facing increasing pressure to strengthen prevention, preparedness and response systems.
The stakes are high. Livestock sectors support more than one billion livelihoods and contribute trillions of dollars in economic value each year. Protecting animal health is therefore critical not only for farmers and livestock keepers, but also for food security, trade, economic stability, and rural prosperity.
The factors driving disease spread are becoming increasingly complex. Increased movement of animals, people and products, changing production systems, environmental pressures and uneven veterinary and surveillance capacity are creating new opportunities for diseases and pests to spread across regions. Addressing these threats requires stronger surveillance, earlier detection, greater information sharing and closer international cooperation.
"The impacts of these outbreaks extend far beyond animal health. They disrupt agricultural production, trade, and tourism, threaten livelihoods, increase food security risks, and in some cases pose direct risks to human health," said Dr Tiensin Thanawat, FAO Assistant Director-General, Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, and Chief Veterinarian.
The economic impacts of transboundary animal diseases are substantial. Avian influenza has resulted in the loss of more than 633 million poultry and threatens a $48 billion market, while foot-and-mouth disease causes $11.3 billion in annual losses and African swine fever has reduced pig herds by over 40 percent in some parts of Asia. These impacts underscore the importance of stronger surveillance, faster detection and coordinated international action.
Recent developments highlight the urgency of the challenge. New World Screwworm has now re-emerged in the United States of America after decades of successful containment, following its northward spread through Central America and Mexico. At the same time, the emergence and international spread of the SAT1 serotype of Foot-and-Mouth disease beyond its historical range in Africa has raised concern across parts of Asia, the Middle East and other regions. These developments demonstrate how quickly animal health threats can cross borders and create significant risks for food production, trade, and livelihoods.
Strong prevention and preparedness remain the most effective and least costly tools for reducing the impact of animal disease outbreaks. When outbreaks exceed national capacity, FAO acts as the Provider of Last Resort, rapidly deploying expertise, coordinating the response, and mobilizing resources to sustain action when national systems are overwhelmed or other actors cannot operate.
"Experience consistently shows us that prevention and preparedness are more effective-and less costly-than responding after an outbreak has taken hold," said Beth Bechdol, FAO Deputy Director-General. "Investing in animal health systems is one of the most effective ways to protect livelihoods, support trade, strengthen food security and improve resilience across agrifood systems."
Building on more than 80 years of experience and programmes such as the Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health (EMPRES), the Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) and the Emergency Management Centre for Animal Health (EMC-AH), FAO is working with Members and partners to strengthen global capacity for prevention, preparedness and response to transboundary animal diseases.
As part of this effort, FAO is working with Members to develop the Global Partnership Programme for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GPP-TAD), a long-term, country-owned platform focused on prevention, early warning, preparedness, anticipatory action and rapid response. The objective is to help countries detect and contain outbreaks earlier, reduce disruptions to food production and trade, and minimize the need for costly emergency interventions.
The programme is being developed as a collaborative, multi-partner initiative-including with organizations such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)-with a focus on strengthening national capacities, supporting sustainable financing approaches, and better linking country-level investments with regional and global support. Building on decades of experience, the initiative aims to strengthen existing international efforts and help countries move from reactive responses toward more durable systems for prevention and preparedness.
