Workshops to help pork producers prepare for foreign animal diseases are set for six Iowa locations in December.

November 20, 2019

3 Min Read
Biosecurity sign
National Pork Board

Is your farm ready for a foreign animal disease? What can you do to prepare yourself and your farms? An outbreak of African swine fever or another foreign animal disease would be a huge challenge for pork producers, so 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 are set for six Iowa locations in December. All are hosted by the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University in collaboration with the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

Each workshop, listed below, will be held 1-4 p.m. with an optional help session from 4-5 p.m. All sessions are available at no charge thanks to IPPA support.

Dec. 2: Public Library, Dike
Dec. 3: Sioux County Extension Office, Orange City
Dec. 4: Mahaska County Extension Office, Oskaloosa
Dec. 9: Hansen Ag Student Learning Center, Ames
Dec. 10: Audubon Recreation Center, Audubon
Dec. 11: Cedar County Extension Office, Tipton

Register for your desired workshop location using this online form.

The IPIC team will help producers understand what the state and federal response might include in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the United States, and how they can individually prepare for such an outbreak on their farm. If individual producers are more prepared, the industry as a whole is more prepared, according to IPIC Extension program specialist Amanda Chipman.

“We want to help producers prioritize actions steps and set goals to take on their farm today,” she says. “These workshops will build on experiences from previous workshops and insights we gained while observing the African swine fever functional exercises in September.”

Following the workshop, attendees can expect to have better knowledge surrounding FAD preparedness, and will leave with practical strategies that can be used immediately to improve the protection of their herd from endemic diseases already in the U.S. swine herd. All are invited regardless of whether or not they attended one of the first series of workshops earlier this year.

These sessions comprise what to expect during an FAD outbreak and response, mass depopulation and disposal options, how to write your personalized enhanced biosecurity plan, how to keep the required movement records and monitor for clinical signs consistent with an FAD outbreak. Individual or small group assistance sessions with enhancing biosecurity and developing a Secure Pork Supply plan for your operation also are available and can be scheduled upon request.

For more information about the workshops and to sign up for updates on future workshops, SPS and ASF, see the IPIC website. If you have questions or would like to schedule a workshop, or individual or group plan assistance, email [email protected] or contact your ISU extension swine specialist.

Source: Iowa Pork Industry Center, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

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