In 1999, veterinarian Dr. Tim Loula reflected on pseudorabies eradication during the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. He shared five valuable lessons for the next eradication effort.
- Move faster once tools are proven effective.
- Identify every herd in a geographic area, no exceptions.
- Enforce rules consistently across state lines.
- Fund emergency indemnity so producers can act fast.
- Track every transmission route: pigs, people, wildlife, trucks and rendering.
Loula’s own “wish list” for the next eradication targets named porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) specifically, shared Dr. Joe Connor at the 2026 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference. Loula called out PRRSv as the most expensive and difficult-to-combat disease to ever hit the U.S. swine industry.
Few would argue that 27 years later.
As state and national health improvement initiatives enter into the early stages of implementation, experts say it’s imperative to define the processes and quantify the probability of success for each of the pathogens under consideration. From Minnesota Pork’s Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) elimination initiative to the National Swine Health Strategy’s goal to eliminate PRRS and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), what does the industry need to do to move these initiatives forward?
Industry leaders joined Connor to discuss ideas during the 25th anniversary of the Carlos Pijoan SDEC Symposium.
“Why eliminate PRRSv now? Our industry is changing. We’re losing our cost competitiveness globally. We know that Brazil has at least the opportunity to be lower cost production. We built our industry over exports. Now we have to maintain those exports. Also, our veterinary knowledge has never been better. We’ve had tremendous advances in diagnostics – I would argue the most reliable and most rapid in the world and they continue to evolve. We’ve had a long history of successes…and need to think harder about welfare and sustainability.” – Dr. Joe Connor, DVM, in “The Eradication of CSF and Aujesky’s Disease in the U.S.”
“The creation of any new eradication program will require navigating the confluence of science, policy and politics. Programs succeed when decisions surrounding their planning and implementation continually and honestly consider alternatives. Everyone likes to say they are for science-based decision making until the scientific consensus leads to a politically inconvenient conclusion and then they want to resort to a backup plan.” – Dr. Brian McCluskey, DVM, Lonestar Epidemiology Consulting, in “Winning the Long Game: Blueprints for Eradication”
“Persistence is PRRSv’ superpower. It can afford to be patient. PRRSv continues to frustrate. We need a way to identify inapparent carriers, reduce shedding, and better understand airborne transmission.” – Dr. Jeff Zimmerman DVM, Iowa State University, in “PRRSv Infection, Contagion, and Diffusion: How PRRSv moves in pigs over space and time”
“The decision to eradicate is something that is ours and the economic implications will be different whether we eradicate or not. If we decide to eradicate upfront, we’re going to have a greater cost, but that’s going to go down over time when the eradication is achieved. Then, the cost of disease will be none. If we decide to live with disease, then that cost will remain the same and you wouldn’t have the extra cost upfront. But you will always have to deal with that cost.” – Dr. Maria Pieters, DVM, University of Minnesota, in “Past and Current Efforts for Mycoplasma Eradication from Around the World”
“Prior experience eradicating other diseases matters. We need to think bigger. Build on programs you already have. Engage in partnerships and set up clear objectives. Put it in writing as it is helpful to be able to see it. Then, you can create a framework with clear tactics. Eradication takes good planning, organization and execution. Plan for setbacks. Surveillance and biosecurity are key and should be centered around communication and inclusiveness. Learn from mistakes and have contingency plans.” – Dr. Montse Torremorell, DVM, University of Minnesota, in “Current Elimination Programs: Lessons and observations from Denmark, Hungary, Chile and Canada.
