Analysis of Cross-Border Movement of Cattle in Yunnan Province, China: Insights Into Transboundary Animal Diseases Control

Abstract

Owing to the unique geographical location of Yunnan province in China, cross-border animal movement has historically been frequent. To get the routing and amount of cross-border animal movement and assess the impact of border control infrastructures on animal movement and potentially disease transmission, a cross-sectional study was conducted in the border areas of Yunnan province from August to October 2023. Epidemiological survey data showed that the smuggled cattle came from Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, India, Bengal, Sri Lanka, and other countries, and then the cattle were cross-border transported through different county, and by several different pathways. Due to the isolating devices on the border and narrowing price gap, the volume of cross-border animal movements sharply decreased compared to that before the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the smuggled cattle were sold to the southern provinces of China, a proportion of them were short-term fattened locally. In the process of cross-border and domestic transport, the practice of no disinfection of the transport vehicle and ship and mixing of cattle from different origins were high-risk practices for disease transmission. In the livestock market, no cleaning and disinfection, sharing forage and cattle sheds, high density of people, vehicle, and cattle may accelerate disease transmission. This survey and analysis may serve as a foundation for risk control and intervention strategies of transboundary animal disease.