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Foreign animal disease threats weigh heavily on minds of pig farmers

Foreign animal diseases like African swine fever remain a serious threat to U.S. pork producers.

Todd Selvik is a pig farmer from Waseca in south-central Minnesota.

“We have ASF as being a huge concern, really any foreign animal disease always weighs heavily on everybody’s mind.”

He tells Brownfield the U.S. has been successful protecting the domestic hog herd from ASF.

“We haven’t gotten that yet, knock on wood, and I hope we never do. And a lot of the programs and information and stuff that we have in place has really kind of helped ease some of those worries.”

Selvik, who serves as president of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association, says collaboration with USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services is helping the pork industry be as prepared as it can be for foreign animal disease threats.