An outbreak of African swine fever in the United States would be devastating in terms of animal loss and economic impact, which is why the cattle and feed industries should have a plan in place to contain and eradicate the virus if it finds a way in, said Cassandra Jones, a professor/coordinator of education at ASI, Kansas State University.

Jones reviewed U.S. preparedness in the event of an ASF infection, including the likely planned response, as well as some challenges to consider, during a biosecurity session at the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) in January in Atlanta, Georgia.Calling it a virus-shielded tank, Jones said ASF is an extraordinarily stable virus that doesn't degrade under typical environmental conditions. In addition, there may be several weeks between the infection and clinical symptoms and no vaccine or treatment is available at this time. If ASF were detected in the United States, the government would likely issue a 72-hour stop order on the movement of animals so it could assess the location of the virus. It would then practice "pushing away" the infected animals and animals within a certain radius of them.  "These are pretty extreme measures, but we don't have the option to switch to a vaccine or treat that," she said.

ASF would not only affect the swine industry, but the entire agricultural industry, Jones said. In Southeast Asia, ASF has collectively reduced sales and manufacturing of pig feed by about 50 percent. "Even though we have seen entities trying to rebuild and repopulate populations, we continue to see the overall domestic feed supply lower year-over-year due to these significant animal health challenges that the disease continues to bring," Jones said.

Source: Agrolink