3.9 Organic and Alternative Farms and Reportable and Foreign Animal Diseases
Katie Steneroden
As previously discussed, USDA-certified organic and some alternative farmers and ranchers do not use antibiotics for their livestock or poultry. Therefore, when disease does strike, treatment options are limited. The better the basic husbandry being delivered continually and the stronger the disease prevention program, the safer the farm or ranch will be from disease entering. This applies to common, zoonotic, reportable, and foreign animal diseases (FADs).
Some reportable diseases have vaccines for certain species (e.g., rabies, anthrax, West Nile Virus, and Marek’s disease). Some—but not all—FADs have vaccines that are only used during an outbreak. Some organic and alternative farmers and ranchers—and some conventional producers as well—do not vaccinate their livestock. Unvaccinated animals are more vulnerable to disease and usually suffer more severe illnesses than vaccinated animals. For this reason, a strong disease prevention program is essential for all farms and ranches.
Stop animal movement orders, which will occur in a FAD outbreak, may impact the ability of organic and alternative livestock owners to move their animals to appropriate pastures or access feed appropriate to their farms.
During a foreign animal disease outbreak, livestock and poultry producers are responsible for preventing their animals from becoming infected and preventing infection from spreading to other farms if they become infected. Farmers can request permission not to have their animals vaccinated from the state or federal authorities in charge of the outbreak response. There isn’t a simple answer to what happens if a farmer or rancher of any size doesn’t want to vaccinate their livestock or poultry. It will depend upon the disease, the species affected, the outbreak’s duration, and geographical scope. Any livestock producer who refuses to vaccinate their animal during a FAD outbreak could lose the ability to collect indemnity for euthanized animals. See below for a FAD FAQ[ and Infographic that can be displayed on the farm so everyone knows what to do during a FAD.
Stop animal movement orders, which will occur in a FAD outbreak, may impact the ability of organic and alternative livestock owners to move their animals to appropriate pastures or access feed appropriate to their farms. Awareness of some issues that could impact O/A farmers and ranchers may be important in planning efforts. FAD resources geared towards organic and alternative producers can be found below and in the resource section of The Livestock Project website:
The Livestock Project has created tools to help organic and alternative livestock farmers, ranchers, and veterinarians who work with them.
