The swine industry is constantly on guard for any challenges to the health of the herds in the United States. This can be seen in the efforts to keep African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) out of our borders. There are a lot of efforts going on behind the scenes. The National Pork Producers Council Chief Veterinarian Dr. Liz Wagstrom gives us an update as to where herd health efforts are.
The biggest question now is where are things with African Swine Fever? We have been battling the disease for a couple of years, and it led to the shutdown of the World Pork Expo in 2019. Dr. Wagstrom says that in this second half of 2021, we are seeing that ASF is a tale of two different battles between Europe and Asia.
One of our biggest lines of defense is through USDA border inspectors at airports and ports of entry. However, the COVID-19 pandemic challenged the ability for there to be enough funding for these inspectors. It took many hands to get extra funding to where it was needed at a crucial time.
The battle for the financing of these inspectors is still going on. Wagstrom says it is a never-ending funding cycle in Washington. 2020 saw funding for additional teams, but there is still a need to get the number of those teams up to par.
Tomorrow, in part two, we will look at vaccine bank funding, where the vaccine progress has been made, and how distribution will look once we get there.
