There are many factors that help U.S. producers stay safe from foreign animal disease outbreaks.
In his role as Chief Veterinarian for the National Pork Board (NPB), Dr. Dusty Oedekoven explained how collaboration is critical to help protect the U.S. pork industry from a foreign animal disease outbreak. There is alignment with strategies and tactics thanks to the direction from producer leaders. Dr. Oedekoven talked more about the collaboration.
?Obviously, there’s a lot of good work going on in that area across, not just at the Pork Board but among state animal health agencies and within USDA and along academia,? Dr. Oedekoven said. ?And so, were part of the solution there.?
Dr. Oedekoven said preparedness is critical to maintain business continuity in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak.
?For all the planning and work that goes into planning to response, you know, it’s really useless if it’s not implemented on the farm level,? Dr. Oedekoven said. ?So, for example, the biosecurity procedures that we know are critical to preventing the introduction of a pathogen like African swine fever into swine herds, that it’s got to be understood and implemented on every farm.?
Dr. Oedekoven added that knowing early signs and symptoms is just as crucial as biosecurity and prevention.
?And we know that African swine fever can be somewhat sneaky,? Dr. Oedekoven said. ?It can mimic other diseases and can be present for some time before it’s detected. And so, we really need pig farmers to be alert to the signs and, you know, ?What does African swine fever look like?? and to report any suspicious signs.?
Dr. Oedekoven also stressed that producers should not be afraid to report any early signs of disease. More information on foreign animal diseases can be found at porkcheckoff.org.
