African swine fever (AFS) is advancing worldwide. It continues to be present in Europe and has now entered China, the world’s largest pork producer. Despite near eradication in Europe in the 1990s, ASF has been spreading rapidly. This current outbreak began in central and eastern Europe in 2014. German farmers are calling for a cull of 70 percent of the wild boar population, a major AFS carrier. Indications are that ASF will continue spreading in spite of prevention efforts. The U.S. is not immune to this spread.
Source: The Guardian, September 3, 2018. Link.
ASF presents no risk to humans, but for pigs it is often fatal. With no effective treatment or vaccine, farmers can only guard against outbreaks using tight biosecurity measures . . . Once it has been diagnosed, entire herds are preventively culled.
Source: National Pork Producers Council. Link. NPPC recently released, the paper, “Meat of the Matter, African Swine Fever.” It matter-of-factly details what ASF is, how it spreads and what it will mean if it enters the U.S. Swine specialists, as well as rural and urban counterparts, will find it worthwhile.