Swine Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Funds Additional Research

The Swine Health Information Center’s (SHIC) Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, a $2.3 million collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Pork Checkoff, funded two additional projects to advance biosecurity of United States swine farms.

The newly funded projects include:

1. An investigation of alternative methods for transport sanitation led by Dr. Erin Kettelkamp at the Swine Vet Center and
2. An assessment of the cost of disease in grow-finish production sites led by Dr. Karyn Havas at Pipestone Research.

These awards bring the total number of projects that have been funded by the program to 18 for a comprehensive approach to enhancing biosecurity across the wean-to-harvest phases of swine production.

The Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program priorities focus on site and transportation biosecurity in five targeted areas:

1. Personnel biocontainment and bioexclusion
2. Mortality management
3. Truck wash efficiency
4. Alternatives to fixed truck wash
5. Packing plant biocontainment

The research program reflects SHIC’s responsiveness to an identified swine health vulnerability and collaborative efforts to leverage producer Checkoff funds to safeguard the health of the U.S. swine herd. Proactively enhancing wean-to-harvest biosecurity will help control the next emerging disease in the U.S. pork industry. All proposals submitted undergo a competitive review process by a task force of industry stakeholders with funding recommendations approved by the SHIC Board of Directors, FFAR and Pork Checkoff. Projects are reviewed for their value to pork producers and their ability to provide cost-effective biosecurity solutions on the farm.

Novel tools, technologies and approaches are needed to augment current biosecurity practices in the U.S. swine industry. Both of the two newly funded projects investigate new ways of thinking about wean-to-harvest biosecurity. Kettelkamp is investigating the efficacy of a new waterless technology for the mobile application of heat and hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in trailers and provide an alternative method for achieving necessary transport sanitation. Havas is seeking to understand the cost of common diseases detected in grow-finish hogs through quantification of disease outcome indicators, such as mortality and weight gain. Costs of disease will be compared to costs required for implementation of different biosecurity practices to provide producers an objective understanding of the potential opportunity cost forfeited through poor biosecurity.

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Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research

The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) builds public-private partnerships to fund bold research addressing big food and agriculture challenges. FFAR was established in the 2014 Farm Bill to increase public agriculture research investments, fill knowledge gaps and complement the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research agenda. FFAR’s model matches federal funding from Congress with private funding, delivering a powerful return on taxpayer investment. Through collaboration and partnerships, FFAR advances actionable science benefiting farmers, consumers and the environment.

Connect: @FoundationFAR 

Swine Health Information Center

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org.

Connect: @swine_health