News from the National Pork BoardIn 2018, the global pork industry was shaken with the spread of African swine fever (ASF). In 2019, there was growing concern over response and recovery, with more resources focused on how to prevent and prepare for a domestic outbreak. In 2020, the industry faced additional challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, and US producers unfortunately had to make tough decisions regarding depopulation and disposal. These events led to resource scarcity and challenged producers’ abilities to be prepared for an animal health emergency. In response to these challenges, research and collaboration led to on-farm solutions.
In 2022, Checkoff funds were invested to elevate disease response preparedness with exercises led by the National Pork Board in partnership with state pork associations, regional and state veterinary officials, swine veterinarians, producers, disposal subject matter experts, and academia. These fully functional exercises simulated a real-world response to a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak.
“Nobody wants to experience an FAD and potentially depopulate their farms. But, in situations where it may be necessary, all farmers should be as prepared as possible to manage their animals, their employees, and their families the best they can,” said Dr Lisa Becton, director of swine health for the National Pork Board. “The exercises are important to review a preparedness plan and develop a checklist of needs — including mental and physical resources — so decisions are carefully made in the midst of a crisis.”
The exercises focused on:
- Practicing an FAD investigation on a pig farm.
- Exploring active use of AgView traceability in FAD and epidemiological investigations.
- Increasing stakeholder understanding of FAD response and building producer confidence in a state’s FAD investigation, depopulation, and disposal activities.
Tools work together – but veterinarian voices are needed
The 4-day exercises combined science and action, using Checkoff-funded tools like AgView, Certified Swine Sample Collector Training Program, Secure Pork Supply, and the US Swine Health Improvement Plan, intertwined with research for a consolidated response.
“Veterinarians are key in an FAD outbreak because they have training and knowledge of disease transmission and containment. The US Department of Agriculture uses established guidance, including the African Swine Fever Response Plan: The Red Book, to manage the response efforts during an outbreak. Veterinarians are a trusted resource for producers and are a liaison working with state and federal partners for managing an outbreak,” Dr Becton continued.
Tools producers should use, and veterinarians should know
AgView - A contact-tracing platform for swine to provide real-time analysis to state animal health officials (SAHOs) to regionalize the spread of an outbreak. During the exercises, SAHOs reviewed the quarantine notice, set boundaries for the 72-hour hold, and used AgView for determining epidemiology of the outbreak, conducting tracebacks, and tracking animal movements.
Secure Pork Supply - A unified, farm-specific business continuity plan for sites under movement restrictions but not infected with ASF.
Certified Swine Sample Collector training program – Category II Accredited veterinarians train producers, caretakers, and industry partners on how to properly collect samples for diagnostic and surveillance purposes. During an outbreak, biosecurity will challenge the movement of veterinarians, thus creating the need for additional, trained workforce to collect the large number of samples required.
US Swine Health Improvement Plan - A certification aiming to mitigate disease introduction risks and provide a practical means for demonstrating evidence of freedom of disease outside FAD control areas in support of ongoing interstate commerce and a pathway towards the resumption of international trade.
Lessons learned inform future needs
These exercises helped identify important details of preparedness and response without having the accompanying stress of an animal health challenge.
“The key lessons learned include understanding no two sites or states are the same and expect the unexpected,” said Dr Becton. “These are functional exercises to help SAHOs and producers develop a sound plan. This plan is also useful for managing endemic diseases.”
Through these exercises, key knowledge gaps were identified, which led to the following research needs:
- Understanding ASF virus survivability for different disposal methods;
- Evaluating feed biosecurity;
- Determining effective on-farm, post-outbreak clean-up strategies, including managing scavengers; and
- Investigating diagnostic sample types for rapid ASF detection.
Due to the successful learnings from the 2022 exercises, there are plans to continue fully functional and tabletop exercises in 2023 to practice FAD response in commercial production sites, show pigs, and cull animal markets.
Creating a comprehensive FAD preparedness plan can be daunting – but taking it one step at a time makes it less overwhelming. Industry-led research, stakeholder and veterinarian expertise, planning tools, and functional exercises collectively fill knowledge gaps to help successfully tackle animal health challenges.