More than 60 cattle producers, veterinarians, government agency representatives and staffs from state and national cattle organizations addressed the handling of possible animal disease outbreaks during a special session at the 2002 Cattle Industry Summer Conference.

Participants discussed the need for cattle producers in each state to help drive the process. A key theme was that government agencies are understaffed and underfunded and it is important for the industry and producers to get involved and take the lead.

Dee Ellis, DVM, Texas Animal Health Commission, noted that it is important for the industry to drive management plans to the producer level, saying this is done by holding planning meetings, conducting test exercises and playing a role in policy development.

Speakers at the meeting agreed that to protect animals and the industry there must be an integrated management approach involving federal, state and local agencies, industry organizations and producers. Communications plays a key role, they said, requiring a relationship between the disease management plans and communications plans to lessen the economic impact of a disease outbreak to the industry. For example, communications both within the industry and externally through the media is a critical part of the response process.

"I'm very pleased with what we are doing for response and prevention," said Lynn Cornwell, immediate past president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). "But I'm very concerned about how we communicate the disease outbreak possibilities to the industry and the public." ©