How Animal Diseases Drive Up Global Food Prices

Global food prices are rising sharply as animal disease outbreaks disrupt supply chains, pushing costs for staples like eggs and beef to record highs and forcing households worldwide to pay the economic fallout of weakened prevention efforts.

Egg prices surged more than 60% during recent bird flu outbreaks, while foot-and-mouth disease in South Africa drove beef prices up by 34%, according to Inter Press Service (IPS). The spikes are not isolated but part of a broader trend: when animal disease prevention fails, the financial burden shifts directly to consumers, farmers, and global food systems.

The economic impact extends beyond household budgets. In South Africa, where foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have become more frequent, livestock farmers face culling orders and export restrictions, further tightening supply. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) reported in May that outbreaks in Africa and Asia had increased compared to the same period last year, with trade disruptions affecting countries reliant on livestock exports.

Why Are Prices Rising So Sharply?

Experts attribute the surge to two key factors: underinvestment in disease surveillance and the erosion of global cooperation in animal health programs. The eradication of rinderpest—a cattle plague that once devastated African economies—demonstrates what coordinated efforts can achieve. Declared eradicated in 2011 after a 30-year campaign led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and OIE, rinderpest cost an estimated $1.5 billion to eliminate but saved Africa an estimated $1.2 trillion in lost livestock productivity annually.

Yet today, similar prevention programs face funding gaps. The FAO’s Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases, launched in 2016, has only received a fraction of its target funding, leaving critical gaps in early detection and vaccine distribution. “The rinderpest success story shows that prevention works, but only if we invest in it,” said Armin Wiesler, a veterinary epidemiologist at the FAO, in a statement to IPS. “Now, we’re seeing the consequences of that neglect in our supermarkets.”

Trade barriers also play a role. The European Union’s strict import rules on African beef, for instance, have tightened since the 2023 foot-and-mouth outbreaks, despite no evidence of cross-border transmission. The African Union’s Pan African Foot-and-Mouth Disease Control Strategy warns that these measures disproportionately harm smallholder farmers, who make up the majority of Africa’s livestock sector.

How Do Rising Food Prices Affect Global Markets?

Food inflation is not confined to developing regions. In the U.S., egg prices hit a 15-year high in June, while the UK’s Retail Price Index for dairy products rose 12% year-over-year. The World Bank’s Food Price Index reported in June that animal product prices were up globally since January, outpacing cereal and vegetable price increases.

For low-income households, the impact is immediate. A 2024 study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) found that a 10% increase in egg prices reduces household food security in urban areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. In South Africa, where beef prices have risen 34%, the Statistics South Africa consumer survey showed that a significant majority of households reported cutting back on meat purchases in the first quarter of 2026.

Farmers, too, are caught in a vicious cycle. In Kenya, dairy farmers have seen milk prices drop due to reduced demand, while veterinary costs for foot-and-mouth disease treatment have surged. The Kenya National Farmers’ Federation warned in May that without intervention, small-scale farmers could face bankruptcy by year-end.

What Lessons Can Be Learned from Rinderpest’s Eradication?

The rinderpest eradication campaign offers a blueprint for addressing today’s outbreaks—but only if policymakers act decisively. The FAO’s Global Early Warning System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases has identified high-risk animal diseases, yet only a portion of member states contribute data regularly. Wiesler highlighted that the rinderpest program succeeded because it combined scientific collaboration, funding commitments, and political will.

Key steps to prevent further price spikes include:

• Strengthening surveillance: The OIE’s Global Animal Health Information System requires full participation from all 183 member states to detect outbreaks early. Currently, a portion of countries report data with delays.
• Investing in vaccines: The FAO estimates that scaling up foot-and-mouth disease vaccines could reduce outbreaks significantly at a cost of $200 million annually—far less than the billions in lost trade and productivity the OIE projects without intervention.
• Removing trade barriers: The World Trade Organization’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Agreement allows temporary trade restrictions during outbreaks, but critics argue current policies often outlast the crisis, harming economies that can least afford it.
• Supporting smallholders: The African Development Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy allocates funding for livestock resilience, but only a small fraction reaches small-scale farmers directly.

Without urgent action, the economic ripple effects will deepen. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected in its April World Economic Outlook that food inflation could drag global growth if animal disease outbreaks persist. For families already struggling with rising costs, the message is clear: the price of ignoring prevention is paid at the checkout.

Sources:

• Inter Press Service (IPS), “The Forgotten Triumph of Rinderpest Eradication, and the Cost of Ignoring Its Lesson”