In recent years, more and more outbreaks have been making the headlines, with diseases such as Avian Influenza, Bluetongue, African Swine Fever and Foot-and-Mouth Disease appearing in the news far more often. We sat down with our National Technical Lead for Food Safety and Animal Welfare, Ester Benguerel, to find out why these outbreaks are increasing in the meat industry.

When I first arrived in the UK in 2000, people in the meat industry worried about a handful of headline diseases and the occasional shock event. Today, diseases such as Avian Influenza, Bluetongue, African Swine Fever, Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Lumpy Skin Disease appear in the news far more often. What has changed?

The world of livestock is changing quickly. Warmer climates, rapid global trade and denser, larger farms have created perfect conditions for diseases to spread. At the same time, our detection tools are sharper, uncovering outbreaks that might have gone unnoticed in the past. The result is more diseases, more often and with greater consequences for both farmers and competent authorities.

Because of climate change, warmer average temperatures, milder winters and altered rainfall patterns are reshaping where insect vectors can live and how long transmission seasons last.

Culicoides biting midges expand northwards and remain active for longer, opening new windows for virus circulation and overwintering. Mechanical transmission by biting insects such as barn flies or mosquitoes becomes more efficient with warmer, wetter summers. Changing climate affects wild-bird migration timing and congregation points, influencing spillover risks to poultry. Places that used to be “too cold” for reliable transmission have warmed and vector seasons are longer.

In addition, global trade and movement have exploded, with animals, genetics, feed, food products and equipment moving faster and travelling further than ever before. While legal trade follows strict animal health rules, the risks persist. Pathogens can slip through undetected or survive on contaminated surfaces. Modern supply chains link farms, processors and markets across continents within days, creating rapid pathways for disease spread.

With land use changing due to urban expansion, rewilding initiatives and changes in forestry and cropping, wildlife and livestock are crossing paths more often. Examples are growing wild boar populations in parts of Europe, and dense waterfowl aggregations increasing contact points between animals.

African Swine Fever (ASF) persists in wild boar and contaminated environments, creating a hard-to-eradicate reservoir. Avian Influenza pressure rises when poultry farms are located along wild-bird migration routes or close to wetlands where wild birds gather. More contact, more contamination, more opportunity for spillover and maintenance in wildlife.

Large, high-density farms are efficient, but the intensification of production has concentrated risk, making disease spread faster. Close animal housing allows infections to move quickly within a farm, while shared workers, vehicles, and equipment can carry pathogens between farms. In regions with many big farms, a single biosecurity lapse can trigger a costly outbreak. Intensified farming increases both the benefits of strong biosecurity and the risks of mistakes.

Human behaviour matters greatly and small everyday decisions on farms can make a big difference to how diseases spread. One common problem is “biosecurity fatigue”, when people start cutting corners on hygiene. This might mean skipping proper cleaning and disinfection of vehicles or equipment, not controlling visitor access, letting pest control slip, or reducing the downtime between visiting different sites. Each of these shortcuts gives pathogens a better chance to move from place to place.

Poor feed and waste handling can also be a serious risk. For example, feeding pigs with untreated food waste is one of the ways African Swine Fever can enter a farm. Likewise, failing to dispose of carcasses or contaminated bedding properly can allow viruses such as Avian Influenza to survive in the environment and infect other animals.

Another factor is inadequate training. If staff are not fully aware of the risks and the correct procedures, they are more likely to make mistakes that could introduce or spread disease.

Finally, delays in reporting unusual signs of illness or sudden deaths can make control much harder. The longer a disease goes undetected, the more time it has to spread to other animals or farms.

In the end, the success of biosecurity measures depends on human behaviour. It’s not just about having the right rules in place, it’s about following them consistently, with awareness, discipline, and care from everyone on the farm and throughout the supply chain.

Surveillance is now far better than it used to be, which means we spot more outbreaks. We can test more animals, more quickly and at an earlier stage. Modern diagnostics such as PCR and rapid tests can detect infections even when the disease is at a very low level. Genetic sequencing helps us trace exactly how and where a disease has spread, revealing patterns that would once have been invisible. And with digital reporting systems and instant international alerts, new outbreaks can be shared almost in real time. Some of the apparent increase is a visibility effect. The world isn’t only sicker; it’s better at finding sickness.

Also, strict notifiable-disease rules, retailer standards and export requirements incentivise rapid testing and disclosure. That improves control, but it also means outbreaks become public knowledge quickly and frequently.

In conclusion, there is both more disease and more detection. Climate, wildlife dynamics, trade intensity, farm density, and human behaviour have increased the real risk and frequency of incursions. At the same time, enhanced surveillance means we detect and report events that would have stayed invisible in the past. The combined effect is a busier and more transparent risk landscape.

Today’s livestock sector operates in a warmer climate, at higher density, with faster global links and under brighter diagnostic spotlights. That combination means more opportunities for notifiable diseases to arrive, spread and be seen. We have better tools than ever to stop them, but we must use them decisively and consistently.

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