DENVER, Colo. — What if there was an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on our country’s doorstep? This is the case for sheep producers in Australia who are nervously watching the outbreak in Indonesia. South Africa’s wool industry is experiencing the dire consequences of not being able to export to China due to an FMD outbreak earlier this year.

If FMD came knocking on the United States’ door, would it be able to walk right into your flock or are you taking steps to protect your sheep?

The American Sheep Industry Association values preparedness, which is why it developed the Secure Sheep and Wool Plan with enhanced biosecurity tools and more. At the beginning of an FMD outbreak, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a 72-hour national movement standstill for all cloven-hoofed livestock and their products. After this time, movement controls will continue in the areas around infected animals, throughout a state or even a region. Restarting movement will require a special permit. The permit will be issued by regulatory officials after a producer meets certain requirements.

How prepared are you to meet those requirements so your business can continue?

The SSWS Plan was developed to help producers protect their flocks from FMD and voluntarily prepare before an FMD outbreak, rather during the chaos of an outbreak. The plan provides guidance for producers who have sheep with no evidence of FMD infection to meet movement permit requirements.

ASI supports several efforts to protect America’s sheep producers from foreign animal and plant diseases and pests, which is why it developed the SSWS Plan. As the association monitors the situation in the southern hemisphere, now is a good time to learn how to protect your flock and business in the event of an FMD outbreak.

Click Here to learn more and access valuable SSWS Plan resources.

–American Sheep Industry Association