Getting “triggered” can be a good thing

Jul 05, 2022

Time to look forward to being able to act in a positive way when we see a trigger in pig production data.

Image and article by Marie Culhane, University of Minnesota

The word “triggered” frequently has a negative meaning. Rather than focus on the downsides of being triggered - such as getting furiously angry by images we see on social media - it is time to look forward to being able to act in a positive way when we see a trigger in pig production data.

Many farms use indicators or signals for animal health that require pig caretakers to take action.

For example, when a sow in her first three days of lactation does not get up to eat and her piglets appear to be losing weight, she is examined for mastitis. However, the ability to act in a timely manner when a signal occurs may be difficult when resources such as time and labor are in short supply.

Regardless, it is still important to monitor your data in case your production moves away from your benchmarks or is trending in the wrong direction.

Frequently examining your data may be a good way to alert yourself to a potential problem.

The proactive use of a production trigger can be used as an early detector of disease within a herd. This example was recently published for finisher sites [1].

To simulate when there would be enough sick or dead finisher pigs to indicate that African Swine Fever (ASF) virus had infected a pig site, the normal mortality associated with routine production causes unrelated to ASF had to be determined.

To determine “normal” mortality, the authors used distributions based on weekly mortality data for 248 pig herds from four pig farming systems in North America.

This allowed the authors to estimate an average weekly mortality rate of 0.3% - i.e., every week “normally” three pigs in a herd of 1,000 die.

In addition to using that mortality rate as an average, other information taken into account for the simulation included data such as the common sizes of grow-finish sites in the Midwest - those with populations of 1,000, 2,496, and 5,000 pigs [2], along with expert opinions from pig farmers and swine veterinarians on the average weekly morbidity (i.e., sick pigs) rate.

Using the above data along with some sophisticated mathematical models, the results indicated that it may take two weeks or longer to detect ASF in a ﬁnisher swine herd via mild clinical signs or increased mortality beyond levels expected in routine production.

To read the Full Article as it appeared in our Benchmark swine magazine, click HERE.

Video: Secure Pork Supply Plan | Preparing for the Future | U.S. Pork Producers

Join Jill Brokaw, a third-generation pig farmer and staff member of the National Pork Board, as she dives into the vital role of the Secure Pork Supply (SPS) Plan in preparing the U.S. pork industry for potential foreign animal disease outbreaks. This video is an essential watch for pork producers who are looking to safeguard their operations against the threats of diseases like foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, and African swine fever.

Why Should Pork Producers Care? An outbreak of foreign animal diseases in the U.S. could lead to severe restrictions and potentially result in industry-wide financial losses estimated between $15 to $100 billion. The SPS Plan is a collective effort to prevent such catastrophic outcomes by enhancing biosecurity, ensuring animal traceability, and promoting effective disease monitoring.

What You'll Learn:

The Importance of Preparedness: Understand why being proactive is crucial for maintaining business continuity during an outbreak. Enhanced Biosecurity Measures: Write a site-specific biosecurity plan that can serve as the first line of defense against potential outbreaks. Animal Disease Traceability: Learn about the significance of tracking animal movement and how acquiring a premises identification number (PIN) and using AgView can facilitate this process. Disease Monitoring: Find out how continuous observation and reporting can keep your herd healthy and disease-free.

Getting Started with SPS: The video breaks down the seemingly daunting task of preparing for a foreign animal disease outbreak into manageable steps. With free resources available at www.securepork.org, including templates and instructions, Jill guides producers on developing a customized plan to enhance their farm's defenses.

Expert Insights: Hear from Dr. Pam Zaabel on collaborating with your herd veterinarian to develop and implement your SPS plan effectively.

Takeaway: The Secure Pork Supply initiative is more than a plan; it's a commitment to the resilience of our food supply and the livelihoods within the pork industry. By embracing these proactive measures, we can collectively enhance our preparedness for foreign animal disease outbreaks.