What's more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.

Assessing the global impact of an animal disease on international markets would warrant a framework of analysis which would connect markets in spatial terms as well as by products.

Demand for poultry meat is expected to increase by 3.9 percent annually, and demand for other animal products will likely increase by between 2 and 3 percent by 2020, he says.