AMES, Iowa (RFD News) — Disease threats remain a top concern for the pork industry, with veterinarians warning producers are increasingly managing multiple health challenges at the same time.
Veterinarian Dr. JD Fiechtner said advances in diagnostic testing have changed how producers approach disease management.
“Diagnostic labs and testing have improved so much over the last few decades that now we can look holistically at the diseases that are impacting pigs today, and rarely are they dealing with just one pathogen at a time. Co-infections and multiple infections are more the norm, not the exception, anymore. These interactions of co-infections or pathogens can affect everything from growth performance to immune responses to efficiency in the barns, and so it’s shifting the conversation from what disease do we have to what combination or challenges are we managing?”
One of the most recent disease concerns has been pseudo-rabies. USDA says a recent outbreak was linked to feral hogs. While the disease was eliminated from the commercial swine herd in 2004, it remains present in feral swine.
USDA is also focused on preventing African swine fever from entering the country as international travelers visit for the FIFA World Cup.
Kathleen O’Hara with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said an introduction would be devastating to the swine industry.
“It’s very important that we keep it out of the United States. An introduction would be devastating to our swine production, our farmers, and just the industry at large as well as how it’s hit in our pocket books at home.”
The virus can survive on both cooked and uncooked pork products and can even be carried on luggage. USDA is asking travelers arriving from other countries to wait at least five days before visiting a U.S. farm.
