STILLWATER, Okla. (RFD News) — The primary focus around New World screwworm has been on protecting cattle, but Dr. Justin Talley with Oklahoma State University says pork producers also need to be vigilant.
“When we think about the New World screwworm, it’s not a big risk for commercial swine because, in the commercial sector, there are a lot of eyes on those animals, and it’s very much contained within a vertical industry structure. Where we’re concerned about is like our swine breeders that are producing livestock for the show pig industry. There’s a higher risk with that because, one, they’re outside, which creates access for the fly. Two, some injuries can occur due to outside pens and other things that can make it conducive for the fly to come in and impact that type of sector.”
Talley says his team is looking at ways to battle all kinds of animal diseases, including African swine fever.
“Some of the research we’ve done with the support of the Oklahoma Pork Council is that, when we think about some projects, it’s about preparedness and prevention. One of those projects is if we have to manage animal mortality. In the case that African swine fever does arrive, and we have to depopulate a herd to stop that transmission, what are some strategies, mitigation strategies? One project that we did, we showed that if you do what we call modified burial with some of what we call carbon resource, it could be wood shavings or other type of carbon material, and getting a cover over those animals in a timely manner reduces the risk of transmitting that virus.”
The FAO reports that since 2007, the virus has spread to more than 50 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Despite promising results with vaccines, biosecurity remains the only effective defense against the virus.
The National Pork Board recently brought together industry leaders to identify gaps in the national swine health strategy. They identified several areas, including better vaccines and diagnostics, along with stronger biosecurity, transportation, sanitation and disease surveillance.
The goal is to turn research into practical tools that can help producers better protect their herds.
