National Pork Board Collaborates with Canadian Officials on FAD Preparedness

Aug 03, 2022

NPB's chief veterinarian shared U.S. pork’s strategies to prevent the spread of foreign animal diseases (FADs) with Canadian officials last month.

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An FAD outbreak in North America, such as African swine fever (ASF), could stop the movement of animals and animal products across international borders.

At the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Summit in Alberta, Dr. Dustin Oedekoven said U.S. pork producers are proactively developing and adopting tools to help identify and mitigate the spread of an FAD outbreak quickly.

This collaboration between the U.S. and Canada is a continuing effort that began in 2021 when USDA APHIS and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency developed a protocol to continue bilateral trade in case of an ASF detection in feral swine in either country.

The plan was developed to protect domestic herds in both countries and minimize impacts on the trade of live swine, products and other commodities.

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Video: Porcine Gut Models in Nutrition Research - Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen, postdoc researcher at Aarhus University, discusses how porcine intestinal cell lines and organoids can help study the impact of nutrition on gut health. He explains how in vivo piglet trials identify diet-driven shifts in microbiota and metabolites, while in vitro models allow researchers to test specific metabolites, barrier function, immune markers, and future organ-on-chip systems before moving back to animal studies. Listen now on all major platforms!

"In vitro models can reduce early animal use by helping researchers screen nutritional candidates before moving back to in vivo trials."

Meet the guest: Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen / li-hsuan-chen-9a95a7279 is a postdoc researcher at Aarhus University in Denmark. Research focuses on porcine gut health, host-microbe interactions, cell lines, and organoids, with PhD work at Aarhus University studying how dietary protein and amino acid levels shape gut microbiota, microbial metabolites, and intestinal epithelial responses. Learn more from Dr. Li-Hsuan Chen on The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.