News

Traceability and innovation crucial to keeping the swine herd healthy

The presence of African swine fever in the Caribbean brings the risk of the disease closer to the U.S.

Burke Healey, USDA domestic ASF response lead, says traceability and innovation matter when it comes to keeping the swine herd healthy. “It helps to determine if we find a sick animal or a premise that has the disease to try to determine where those animals might have gone,” he says. “To figure out who else might be exposed as well as determining where it might have come from or how it got into that farm.”

He tells Brownfield work has also been done to identify potential gaps in biosecurity to protect animal health. “The swine industry about a year ago passed the traceability requirement, or enhancement of the traceability programs to look at mostly cull sows,” he says.  “Specifically, the gaps that we see in the movement of cull sows. We’re focusing on that right now in our traceability arena.”

The USDA remains focused on biosecurity and has launched the Protect Our Pigs campaign, an effort to prevent ASF from entering the U.S. The campaign aims to raise awareness about ASF and provide resources to help producers and veterinarians protect the U.S. herd. 

While ASF doesn’t threaten human health, it could devastate America’s pork industry and food supply.

AUDIO: Burke Healey, USDA