An outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in the United States would cause an economic impact of billions of dollars and loss of tens of thousands of jobs in direct employment.

• A. Not applicable
• B. True
• C. False
• D. Not known

Answer: (B)

An outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease would have a large economic impact because it disrupts production, trade and employment across multiple sectors. FMD is extremely contagious among cloven-hooved animals, so authorities typically impose strict movement controls, quarantines, tracing, culling and disposal, and cleanup. These control measures bring direct costs—deaths, culling, compensation, testing, and disposal—and indirect costs, such as lost production, disrupted markets, and reduced demand. The resulting combination of farm losses, disrupted exports, and the need to rebuild herds and facilities can push the total economic impact into the billions of dollars and lead to substantial direct employment losses in farming, slaughter and processing, transportation, feed supply, and veterinary services. Historical outbreaks have shown how quickly export markets can be restricted and domestic supply chains affected, underscoring why such a large financial and employment impact is plausible. So the statement is true.