Last week, the announcement came that we had thus far avoided hearing; African Swine Fever (ASF) made its first appearance in the Western Hemisphere when it was discovered in the Dominican Republic. Just because it is on our side of the planet doesn?t mean we have to be in full panic mode. It just means that we need to be more vigilant. The National Pork Board (NPB) is reminding producers that there are steps that they can take to safeguard their hog herds against any Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs).
Patrick Webb is the Acting Chief Veterinarian for the National Pork Board. He says that focused monitoring of your herd is still the most important thing you can do. ASF has many symptoms that are similar symptoms to PRRS, salmonella, and circovirus.
Just like with any other disease that can surface in your hogs, it is important to involve your veterinarian if you suspect anything with your herd. They can make the correct diagnosis and are working in tandem with state animal health officials.
The Pork Checkoff has funded the Secure Pork Supply plan which has enhanced biosecurity plan to quickly identify and isolate any places where potentially threatening FADs are found. This can act as a two-pronged benefit. First, it will contain any diseases and stop a wholesale spread. It will also keep a safe pork supply moving for consumers, thus preventing any major supply disruption.
Once again, producers are being encouraged to sign up for a free AgView account at porkcheckoff.org/AgView. This will allow producers to streamline the sharing of vital herd information to the proper animal health personnel in the event of an outbreak.
There are many resources available on the Pork Checkoff webpage.
