Is your farm ready for a foreign animal disease? What can you do to prepare yourself and your farms? Planning ahead for an outbreak may reduce some of the stress for you and your employees while preparing the appropriate actions for your operation.

Workshops to help pork producers prepare via the Secure Pork Supply plan will be available starting July 29, hosted by Iowa Pork Industry Center in collaboration with Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Center for Food Security & Public Health.

In the event of an African swine fever (ASF), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), or classical swine fever (CSF) outbreak in the U.S., state and federal regulatory officials will temporarily restrict animal movement to slow or stop the spread of these foreign animal diseases. If your animals are located in a disease control area, you’ll need to meet certain criteria (for example, movement records and biosecurity measures in place) in order to request a permit to move your animals. Guidance for requesting movement permits can be found in the SPS plan.

Plan to make your farm biosecure

Iowa State University Extension swine specialists want to help producers understand what the state and federal response might include; how the resources in the SPS plan can help producers prepare; and what producers can implement now to protect their operation. By helping individual producers prepare, the industry is more prepared.

Interactive workshops, webinars and individual assistance on enhanced biosecurity plans and site maps are available. Two workshops will be offered: FAD Prep 101 and FAD Prep 201. FAD Prep 101 will last two hours and will cover what to expect during a foreign animal disease outbreak and response: mass depopulation and disposal options, and a brief introduction to the SPS plan.

The second workshop, FAD Prep 201, will last three hours and will explain the resources in the SPS plan: how to write your personalized enhanced biosecurity plan, train caretakers in biosecurity, keep the required movement records, and monitor for clinical signs consistent with a FAD outbreak. Individual or small group assistance with developing an SPS plan for your operation will also be available and can be scheduled upon request.

Schedule for upcoming workshops

Workshops are scheduled for the following dates and cities in Iowa. FAD Prep 101 will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and FAD Prep 201 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on all days. Note that FAD Prep 101 is a prerequisite for FAD 201.

You can sign up for any of the workshops online. For more information about the workshops, visit the IPIC website's Secure Pork Supply section. For questions, to schedule a workshop, or request individual or group plan assistance, contact Amanda Chipman or your ISU Extension swine specialist. To receive updates about future workshops, SPS and ASF, subscribe here.

Source: ISU, which is responsible for information provided and is wholly owned by source. Informa Business Media and subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any content in this information asset.