A major outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is emerging in two Cambodian provinces, which could hurt farmers’ livelihoods, officials said Tuesday.
The highly contagious disease, which can be fatal to livestock but does not affect humans, has attacked hundreds of cattle and pigs in Battambang and Kompong Cham provinces, killing three cows last month, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s monthly livestock report.
Sen Sovann, deputy director of the ministry’s animal health and production department, said overworked or underfed cattle are especially vulnerable.
Some 316 cows and 458 pigs contracted the disease in June in Battambang’s Bavel, Sangke, Battambang and Ek Phnom districts, and 342 head of cattle fell sick in Kompong Cham, the report stated.
Sen Sovann blamed the outbreak on cross-border smuggling without health inspections or other safeguards. Smuggling has introduced many previously unknown infectious diseases into Cambodia’s animal population, he said. This year’s numbers are a drastic increase over last year’s, but Sen Sovann said that is because the disease tends to occur every year and a half.
In 2000, a massive foot and mouth outbreak occurred because of pig smuggling from Vietnam, he said. It spread to cattle in Svay Rieng province, which were bought and sent to Siem Reap and Battambang provinces, causing further contamination.
The outbreak, while not dangerous to humans, could endanger beef exports and reduce farmers’ ability to make a living, he said.
About 7,000 cows are legally exported to Malaysia each year, but illegal livestock sales to neighboring countries might be 10 times that, Sen Sovann said.
To address the outbreak, the ministry has issued a directive ordering police to crack down on cattle smuggling.
Foot and mouth disease became a major international issue last year, when the disease spread through Britain’s cattle herds. Thousands of cattle were killed to keep it from spreading, crippling British exports.