Animal health: a strategic priority in an interconnected world

The United States, Mexico, and Mercosur, Argentina and Brazil in particular, are key players in meeting the global demand for animal protein.

The global livestock and meat market is projected to grow from $1.37 trillion in 2024 to $1.60 trillion in 2034, and the livestock sector is key to the economy and people's livelihoods. However, in a globalized world, with increasingly integrated agro-industrial systems and expanding agricultural frontiers, diseases know no borders. Animal health is a key component of food security, public health, and the competitiveness of agricultural systems.

Cases such as the Screwworm and avian influenza support this perspective and highlight the vulnerability and need for collaboration between countries. In this sense, the Screwworm Eradication Program is an example of how cooperation between Mexico and the United States can be strategic and indispensable. This pest, which caused enormous losses to livestock in North America, was eradicated in the United States in 1966 thanks to an innovative strategy: the release of sterile males to interrupt the reproductive cycle.

Building on this success, Mexico and the United States launched a joint campaign that successfully eliminated the screwworm from Mexican territory in 1991. But eradication did not eliminate the risk. To prevent infestation from Central and South America, both countries helped establish a biological barrier in Panama. These efforts continue today.

The reappearance of the screwworm in 2023 has set off alarm bells in the hemisphere. Its return demonstrates that sustained surveillance and control are essential, and that the experience of Mexico and the United States can serve as a guide for other regions. It also reinforces the idea that, without regional cooperation, no sanitary barrier is completely secure.

Another common challenge is avian influenza, which has caused significant outbreaks in several countries since 2022, particularly in the United States. Mexico has also been affected by national outbreaks and trade restrictions. In addition to its economic cost, avian influenza poses a threat to public health due to its zoonotic potential.

Another successful example of regional coordination is the control of foot-and-mouth disease. Although both countries are currently free of foot-and-mouth disease—Mexico thanks to vaccination and the United States without—rapid alert mechanisms and binational simulation exercises remain active. The same is true in Mercosur, through mechanisms such as the Southern Agricultural Council (CAS).

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in the United States could cause losses exceeding $20 billion in the first year. In Mexico, livestock accounts for nearly 40% of agricultural GDP, and access to high-value markets such as Japan and South Korea directly depends on the country's health situation. This makes it clear that animal health is not only a technical issue, but also a tool for trade policy and economic development.

Other important experiences in Latin America that illustrate the value of regional cooperation include the Permanent Veterinary Committee of the Southern Cone (CVP), which promotes policy harmonization within Mercosur and plays a key role in epidemiological surveillance, traceability, and strengthening public veterinary services, even in non-member countries such as Colombia.

In Central America and the Caribbean, countries such as Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic have strengthened their animal health systems with the support of international organizations such as IICA, among others.

What's at stake is not just animal health but also the livelihoods of millions of producers, food security, and the stability of agribusiness supply chains. Investing in animal health means investing in resilience, competitiveness, and well-being.

*Agricultural engineer, Guyana's candidate for Director General of IICA.