Overview of FMD

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that causes fever and painful  lesions on cloven-hoofed animals’ hooves, mouths, and udders (see fig. The United States has not had an FMD outbreak since 1929, but the  disease could be introduced here from countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern  Europe, or South America where it is present. Potential Impact of FMD Outbreak

An FMD outbreak in the United States could have serious economic  consequences. In addition, trade disruptions could have an  enormous impact because U.S. exports of livestock, meat, and dairy  products—together valued at more than $19 billion in 2017 based on  estimates from the U.S. Meat Export Federation and the U.S. USDA’s FMD Response Strategies Emphasize Stamping Out or Vaccination, Depending on Factors Such as Outbreak Size and Resource Availability

USDA’s APHIS has developed several different, but not mutually  exclusive, outbreak response strategies that the agency will consider to  control and eradicate FMD in an outbreak as part of its planned approach,  according to USDA documents and officials. These strategies rely on  stamping out—killing and disposing of—infected and susceptible animals,  vaccination of uninfected animals, or both. Many of the more general SOPs have proven useful during outbreaks of  other animal diseases and exercises simulating FMD outbreaks,  according to APHIS and state government officials, and APHIS has  revised them to incorporate lessons learned. USDA Would Likely Face Significant Challenges in Pursuing Its FMD Response Goals, Particularly regarding Vaccination

USDA would likely face significant challenges in pursuing its FMD  response goals of detecting, controlling, and containing FMD as quickly  as possible; eradicating FMD using strategies that seek to stabilize  animal agriculture industries and the economy; and facilitating continuity  of commerce in uninfected animals. We identified 11 challenge areas,  based on our review of USDA documents, interviews with agency officials  and others with expertise with FMD, and 29 responses to our  questionnaire. One industry respondent who said that the area was not a  challenge cited a team of industry representatives that is working with  USDA and states to prepare for an FMD outbreak. All 29 respondents to our questionnaire  agreed that the challenges USDA faces related to vaccination are  significant. Moreover, if an FMD outbreak occurred in Texas or Iowa, the states with  the largest cattle and swine populations, respectively, the available  vaccine supply would provide a single dose for about 14 percent of  Texas’s 12.3 million cattle or the required two doses for about 4 percent  of Iowa’s 22.8 million swine. USDA Has Identified Actions to Mitigate Challenges in Responding to FMD but Has Not Prioritized or Monitored Their Completion

To mitigate challenges in responding to potential FMD outbreaks, USDA’s  APHIS has identified corrective actions through preparedness exercises,  surveys, and lessons learned in other outbreaks, as called for in its SOPs. Some of the corrective actions that USDA has identified and taken relate  to the challenge area of vaccination. More generally, agency officials told us that the agency has not prioritized  or monitored completion of some corrective actions because they have  been responding to actual outbreaks of animal and plant diseases. They  also noted that they have limited resources for FMD preparedness, which  may make it difficult for them to complete all of the corrective actions that  have been identified. However, APHIS has not yet completed other corrective  actions, including actions that have been identified multiple times, such as  developing a process for prioritizing and allocating the limited supply of  FMD vaccine. Without  following its SOP to prioritize and monitor corrective actions for FMD  preparedness, APHIS cannot ensure that it is allocating its limited  resources to the most beneficial actions to prepare for a possible FMD  outbreak. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

This report (1) describes the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA)  planned approach for responding to a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)  outbreak; (2) identifies what challenges, if any, USDA would face in  pursuing its FMD response goals; and (3) examines how USDA identifies,  prioritizes, and monitors corrective actions to mitigate these challenges.
Why GAO Did This Study

FMD is a highly contagious viral disease that causes painful lesions on the hooves and mouths of some livestock, making it difficult for them to stand or eat, thus greatly reducing meat and milk production. The United States has not had an FMD outbreak since 1929, but FMD is present in much of the world. An FMD outbreak in the United States could have serious economic impacts, in part because trade partners would likely halt all imports of U.S. livestock and livestock products until the disease was eradicated. These imports were valued at more than $19 billion in 2017.
GAO was asked to review USDA's efforts to prepare for an FMD outbreak. This report examines (1) USDA's planned approach for responding to an FMD outbreak; (2) challenges USDA would face in pursuing its response goals; and (3) how USDA identifies, prioritizes, and monitors corrective actions to mitigate the challenges. GAO observed a USDA FMD preparedness exercise; reviewed agency documents and nongeneralizable questionnaire responses from 29 respondents from federal and state government, livestock industries, and universities; and interviewed officials from federal and state governments and representatives of livestock industries and universities.

What GAO Found

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) planned approach for responding to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) includes several strategies. These strategies generally rely on killing infected and susceptible animals, vaccinating uninfected animals, or a combination of both approaches. USDA would implement one or more of the strategies, depending on factors such as the outbreak's size and the resources available, according to agency documents.
USDA would likely face significant challenges in pursuing its response goals of detecting, controlling, and containing FMD quickly; eradicating FMD while seeking to stabilize industry and the economy; and facilitating continuity of commerce in uninfected animals. GAO identified challenges in 11 areas—including allocating a limited supply of FMD vaccine—based on its review of USDA documents, responses to GAO's questionnaire, and interviews with agency officials and others with expertise on FMD. According to USDA, the agency may not have a sufficient supply of FMD vaccine to control more than a small outbreak because of limited resources to obtain vaccine. As shown below, the current vaccine supply would be sufficient to protect about 14 percent of Texas's cattle or about 4 percent of Iowa's swine; these states' cattle and swine populations are the nation's largest. The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 includes a provision to increase the FMD vaccine supply.
USDA has identified dozens of corrective actions to mitigate the challenges of responding to an FMD outbreak, as called for in USDA procedures, but has not prioritized these corrective actions or monitored their completion, as also called for in its procedures. USDA has identified the corrective actions through exercises simulating FMD outbreaks, surveys, and lessons learned from other foreign animal disease outbreaks. However, USDA has not completed all of the corrective actions, including actions related to vaccination. Agency officials stated that they have not completed such corrective actions because they have been responding to outbreaks of other animal diseases and have limited resources. Without following agency procedures to prioritize and monitor corrective actions, USDA cannot ensure that it is allocating its resources to the most beneficial actions to prepare for a possible FMD outbreak.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is recommending that USDA follow its procedures to prioritize and monitor the completion of corrective actions that the agency has identified for FMD preparedness. USDA agreed with these recommendations, and described actions it will take to implement them.