Swine health is critical to ensuring a quality, nutritious product for domestic and international consumers of US pork. While monitoring a swine herd for domestic diseases is part of a farm’s daily routine, foreign animal diseases (FADs) like African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever (CSF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) tend to take a back seat.
Part of that is because, even though ASF cases, for example, continue to surface around the world, US producers haven’t faced that challenge. Another part can be attributed to warning fatigue and even skepticism that an FAD will reach the US.
With more than 27% of annual US pork production exported, that’s a dangerous gamble because an FAD would immediately close access to foreign markets.
“It will be important to prove to our trade partners that we know where the FAD is and the pork they are purchasing comes from negative herds,” said Daniel Hendrickson, DVM, Four Star Veterinary Service (FSVS). “That will be vital for producers and our industry to survive.”
The good news is that there are three industry-based programs to help ensure you are prepared whether you run a commercial operation or are involved in the show-pig sector, and whether you have five pigs or 50,000. The common goals are to minimize the spread of an FAD and maintain business continuity for herds that are proven to be negative.
“Bottom line, if you’re in a buffer zone or where animals have tested positive but you have the right protocols in place — the maps and such to show animal-health officials — and your animals test negative, you will be able to move animals outside of that zone,” he added.
It does take some time to enroll and get these programs going, but FSVS is available to help with the process, Hendrickson said.
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