Economic dimensions and directions of animal disease policy

Widely publicised incidents of transboundary animal diseases (TADs), devastating to local livestock industries, have occurred worldwide creating a greater awareness of the role of response policy selection on TAD spread risk and risk of initial introduction into previously disease free areas. In particular, drawing on past TAD outbreaks, the literature and the intrinsic characteristics of the issues, potential policy directions and economic information needs are discussed in an attempt to provide an update on the status of economic research addressing animal disease and identify key areas where additional research is needed. In particular, the focus is on policy implications with the understanding that these policies exist as risk management tools.