An Electronic Report of Forum Findings and Recommendations

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 Overview

On May 26th the University of Minnesota's Center for Integrative Leadership and the Global Initiative for Food Systems Leadership hosted the second in a series of cross-sector Finding Common Ground Forums focused on food security around the world. This Forum addressed the issue of Foot and Mouth Disease Response and Recovery (the first Forum was held in November 2010 and focused on antibiotic use in agriculture. Click here for an e-report summary from that Forum).

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is the most devastating animal disease circulating in the world today. FMD exists in much of the world and when the disease spreads to new countries, it becomes headline news, like the recent outbreaks in North and South Korea, South Africa and Vietnam this year alone.

The damage caused by FMD goes far beyond the affected cattle, pigs, sheep and other animals. The traditional “stamping out” approach to stopping the disease and the resulting disruption of trade can cost billions of dollars. While the infection doesn’t spread to humans, public health implications can be extensive as a result of the psycho-social impacts of destruction of prized animals, loss of livelihoods for many rural families, the disruption of local economies and the stigma of quarantines and adverse media coverage.

Tough issues like FMD response and recovery strategies require a multi-sector perspective, an inquisitive mind, and a commitment to collaboration. We believe that stakeholders from academia, media, industry, agriculture, intergovernmental, nongovernmental and governmental organizations must have the opportunity to examine this issue. The Finding Common Ground Forums provide this opportunity.

Dr. Nick Honhold, Veterinary Epidemiologist and International Animal Disease Expert from the United Kingdom kicked off the Forum with an overview of FMD and shared the story of FMD recovery and response in the United Kingdom, 2001.

	View Forum Agenda
	View Nick Honhold's Presentation
	Read Nick Honhold's bio

 

 

If you have suggested topics for future Finding Common Ground Forums, please contact us with your ideas.