title: A historical synopsis of farm animal disease and public policy in twentieth century Britain.
abstract: The diseases suffered by British livestock, and the ways in which they were perceived and managed by farmers, vets and the state, changed considerably over the course of the twentieth century. This paper documents and analyses these changes in relation to the development of public policy. It reveals that scientific knowledge and disease demographics cannot by themselves explain the shifting boundaries of state responsibility for animal health, the diseases targeted and the preferred modes of intervention. Policies were shaped also by concerns over food security and the public's health, the state of the national and livestock economy, the interests and expertise of the veterinary profession, and prevailing agricultural policy. This paper demonstrates how, by precipitating changes to farming and trading practices, public policy could sometimes actually undermine farm animal health. Animal disease can therefore be viewed both as a stimulus to, and a consequence of, twentieth century public policy.
authors.affiliation: Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine, Level 2, Central Library, Imperial College London South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, UK. a.woods@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woods
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000191:economics; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D049673:History, 20th Century; D011640:Public Policy; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000517:prevention & control; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014857:Warfare