How did outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease affect livestock farming in England?

Outbreaks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) caused significant disruption to livestock farming in England, primarily through massive animal losses and economic instability.

Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)

First identified in 1986, BSE—often called "mad cow disease"—is a fatal neurodegenerative condition linked to the consumption of contaminated high-protein feed supplements. The epidemic, which was particularly severe in southern England, led to nearly 185,000 confirmed cases in the United Kingdom between 1986 and 2008. The crisis caused costly setbacks for the beef industry in the late 1990s as concerns grew regarding the disease's impact on cattle and its potential link to human health through variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD).12

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)

The 2001 FMD outbreak was a highly contagious disaster for the industry. Because the virus spreads rapidly, authorities implemented strict eradication measures, including the slaughter of more than six million animals, primarily sheep but also cattle and pigs. The outbreak caused severe economic losses across the country, with the region of Cumbria being particularly devastated.32