The Psychosocial and Socioeconomic Consequences of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE): A Community Impact Study

Abstract

The detection of the first indigenous case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada on May 20, 2003, had significant consequences for the livestock industry. As a result, borders were closed by several trade partners, particularly the United States. The outbreak led to direct and indirect economic impacts to the "cattle" industry exceeding $6 billion. As a consequence of a number of risk management interventions implemented by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and provincial agencies, the BSE outbreak appears to have been largely contained. The initial results from our study of the socioeconomic and psychosocial impact of BSE on the health and well-being of rural and farm families living in Canada, a topic that remains largely unexamined are presented. Our analysis of the outbreak raises a number of questions concerning the resulting consequences for farmers, their families, and their communities, including considerations from a social determinants' of health perspective. In particular, our preliminary findings reveal that 5 years following the detection of the first indigenous case of BSE in Canada, ongoing uncertainty and stress resulting from unrecoverable financial losses continue to weigh heavily on the health and well-being of farmers, their families, and survival and sustainability of agricultural communities.

Exiting, enduring and innovating: Farm household adaptation to global zoonotic disease

“…The otherwise important role of farmer as environmental steward and community member is undermined by the pervasiveness of enduring strategies and the associated focus on short-term economic need. In the context of rural decline and recurring crises in the beef sector, chronic enduring is being reinforced as an accepted norm in Canadian 'farm culture' (Mitra et al, 2009) and, indeed, a central farm household adaptation strategy.…”

“…In contrast, the US exported only 10% of its beef and cattle, leaving it much less vulnerable to border closures (O'Neill, 2005). In Canada, the loss of these export markets in turn depressed commodity beef prices triggering a socio-economic crisis that devastated the agricultural sector, the Canadian economy and especially farm households and rural communities (Mitra et al, 2009;Stozek, 2008). Losses over the following year averaged $20,000 per farm household (Mitura and Di Pietro, 2004) and these immediate impacts resonated across the Canadian rural landscape.…”

“…(Le Roy and Klein, 2005;O'Neill, 2005;Rude et al, 2007), risk management and perception of risk (Boyd et al, 2009;Krewski et al, 2008;Leiss et al, 2010;Lemyre et al, 2009), the farm and community level impacts of BSE (Ashraful and McLachlan, 2009;McIntyre and Rondeau, 2009;Mitra et al, 2009;Stozek, 2008) and locating the BSE crisis within the context of multiple interacting stressors (Schaufele et al, 2009;Stozek, 2008 (Leiss et al, 2010) provides a comprehensive synthesis of research on BSE in Canada and beyond; however, the capacity for farm households to adapt is absent from this framework and from studies on zoonotic disease in general (Anderson and McLachlan, 2009). Indeed, with the exception of one study that characterized the role of Holistic Management in rural adaptation to BSE (McLachlan and Yestrau, 2008) and another that focused peripherally on adaptation amongst young farmers (Cook et al, 2011), there has yet to be a systematic appraisal of farm household adaptation to BSE in Canada or anywhere else in the world.…”

Adapting to food safety crises: Interpreting success and failure in the Canadian response to BSE

“…He points to signs that in the wake of BSE many, although not all, farmers have been able to employ this resourcefulness to find new sources of income and adapt to rapidly changing economic circumstances. Yet, the financial pressures and personal stresses (Mitra et al, 2009) created by the disease, coupled with the structural (Stull and Broadway, 2013) and cultural transformations (Blue, 2008) re-shaping rural life in Alberta, continue to contribute to considerable uncertainty for the future of many producers.…”

The Immune System in the Pathogenesis and Prevention of Prion Diseases

“…The primary focus of prion diseases as a threat to the security of the United States should be the proven economic consequences of the identification of BSE-positive animals and animal products and its significant consequences for the US beef export market. It has been estimated that the 2003 case of BSE in the United States resulted in a net loss to the export market of between $3.2 and $4.7 billion, in addition to the ongoing sociological burden to the rural economy that continues to affect agricultural and associated industries [1,2]. The economic consequences of BSE are further exacerbated by the realization that the BSE agent, unlike other transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) agents, appears to transmit across species barriers and has resulted in a novel human prion disease, called variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD), in at least 200 individuals to date [3].…”