Global levels of meat trade have not declined despite the last decade’s high-profile bans on meat trade flows.
The economic effects of disease-related trade bans on an individual country depend on the size of its livestock trade relative to domestic consumption. The most severe impacts have been felt in a few export-dependent markets and in those importdependent markets where substitutes for banned trade
were not found.
The economic significance of animal disease outbreaks is also influenced by consumer response: Fears that the disease can spread to humans can lead to sharp drops in consumption.