Woman in white lab coat and protective eyewear in a research lab at a computer with a virus on the screen Woman in white lab coat and protective eyewear in a research lab at a computer with a virus on the screen

H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program

Proactively enhancing prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the U.S. swine herd.
Generating Production Systems Solutions
Proactively enhancing prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the U.S. swine herd.

Program Contact

Dr. Jasmine Bruno
jbruno@foundationfar.org

Partnerships & Development Contact

Lauren Hershey
lhershey@foundationfar.org

Proposals due December 31, 2024

About the H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program

The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) has partnered with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the Pork Checkoff to fund a $4 million research program to enhance prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza in the U.S. swine herd.

As part of SHIC’s strategic mission to respond to emerging disease threats, SHIC monitors disease outbreaks nationally and internationally for their potential risks to the U.S. swine herd. H5N1 influenza is an emerging disease identified as a priority for U.S. pork industry prevention and preparedness due to the growing number of diverse mammalian species susceptible to infection and the unprecedented 2024 H5N1 outbreak impacting U.S. dairy herds.

Historically, H5N1 has been primarily maintained globally in wild migratory birds with outbreaks in commercial poultry operations. A multistate outbreak of H5N1 influenza in dairy cows began on March 25, 2024, in Texas. Whole genome sequencing of the dairy herd isolate identified Eurasian lineage goose/Guangdong clade 2.3.4.4b, genotype B3.13. Since March 2024, the outbreak of H5N1 in U.S. dairy cattle has spread rapidly across hundreds of dairy herds in more than 14 states, affecting lactating cows and causing mastitis, reduced milk production, decreased feed consumption, lethargy and fever. On October 30, 2024, USDA reported the first detection of H5N1 in a pig on a small Oregon backyard farm where pigs were co-housed with poultry and other livestock.

This recent expansion of H5N1 into novel livestock species and resulting in novel clinical presentation warrants the need for a close investigation of this virus and its potential for incursion into U.S. commercial swine herds.

Critical research investments are necessary to prevent H5N1 incursion, ensure rapid and accurate detection of H5N1, inform stakeholder response, mitigate production losses on farm, identify effective control measures and develop clear messaging to consumers on the safety of pork.

SHIC/FFAR/NPB are inviting proposal submissions from qualified researchers for funding consideration to address H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program priorities described in the detailed Request for Research Proposals (RFP) on the SHIC website.

H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program Priorities

  1. Vaccines
  2. Clinical Presentation
  3. Mammary Transmission
  4. Surveillance
  5. Introduction Risks
  6. Caretakers
  7. Biosecurity
  8. Pork Safety
  9. Production impact
  10. Pig Movements

Collaborative projects that include the pork industry, allied industry, dairy or poultry industries, academic institutions and/or public/private partnerships are highly encouraged. Projects that demonstrate the most urgent and timeliness of completion, provide the greatest value to pork producers, and show efficient use of funds will be prioritized for funding. Projects are requested to be completed within a 12–18-month period with sufficient justification required for extended project duration.

Individual awards are capped at $250,000, but proposals may exceed the cap if sufficient justification is provided. Matching funds are encouraged but not required; the $250K cap applies to only those funds requested from SHIC/FFAR/NPB. All projects should strive to have a high impact, show value to pork producers and have pork industry-wide benefit.

View FFAR/SHIC Webinar Recording

Additional FFAR collaborations with SHIC include a comprehensive approach to enhancing Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity, funded in partnership with the Pork Checkoff, and proactive investigations to prevent and prepare for a potential Japanese encephalitis virus incursion. This Oct. 22, 2024, webinar included representatives from FFAR and SHIC discussing the benefits of collaborative approaches to protect the U.S. swine herd from emerging disease threats.

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The Latest

Insights

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Federico Tarnonsky

FFAR Fellow (2022-2025), University of Florida

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Greener Cattle Initiative is Game Changer for Dairy’s Future

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Reducing Enteric Methane Emissions from Dairy Cattle

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Dr. Francisco Peñagaricano and Dr. Guillermo Martinez Boggio

Let’s Raise a Glass on National Milk Day to the Power of Agriculture Research

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Krysta Harden

President and CEO U.S. Dairy Export Council

Building Team Chemistry: The Bigger Picture Behind Cows & Climate

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Conor McCabe

Animal Biology Graduate Student, UC Davis

Insight on Livestock Methane Mitigation

Dr. Rod Mackie

Dr. Rod Mackie, Professor, Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

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Indigenous Farmers are Leading a “New Green Revolution” Focused on Hemp

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Going Nuts: Nut Crops as Climate Resilient Protein Alternatives for the Future

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How Heat Stress Impacts Swine Health

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Building Tools for Plant Genome Editing

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Wheat: already delicious and now nutritious

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Dusting the Soil for Fungus-Prints: Spinach Seed Production and One of its Greatest Threats

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Heavy Metal and Chocolate: Not the Best Pairing  

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News

The latest news and updates from FFAR.

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FFAR Research Addresses On-Farm Bird Flu Outbreaks Linked to Wild Waterfowl

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FFAR Aims to Help Farmers Manage Manure More Sustainably & Profitably

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Swine Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Funds Additional Research

FFAR Names Sixth Cohort of Veterinary Fellows

U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef & FFAR Announce Focus Group Series to Develop Sustainable Beef Research Roadmap

FFAR-Funded Research to Prevent African Swine Fever Virus

Greener Cattle Initiative Opens Call for Enteric Methane Emission Research

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Japanese Encephalitis Virus Research Protects U.S. Swine

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Breakthroughs

Tools, technologies and strategies from the research we fund.

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Unlocking Genetic Heat Tolerance in Cattle

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Breakthrough for FFAR Awards $1.4 Million to Purdue University, University of California, Davis and University of Edinburgh Researchers to Improve Health and Productivity of Egg-Laying Hens

Research Pinpoints Why Dairy Cows Produce Less Milk in Warm Weather and Develops Nutrition-Based Solution

Breakthrough for FFAR Grant Helps Heat-Stressed Dairy Cows Weather Increasing Temperatures

Getting to the Root of the Problem: Fastidious Pathogens

Breakthrough for A Novel Bioassay for Culturing and Characterizing Fastidious Phytopathogens

Feed Additives Stop Viral Disease Spread, Researchers Find

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Initial Successes in Ending Surgical Castration of Swine

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