The time to get started on traceability is now, says Alan Wulfekuhle, a pig farmer from Quasqueton, Iowa. As a producer, he believes it’s no longer an option – but rather, a duty.
But not everyone thinks this way. In fact, many pork producers are watching and waiting, unsure of what their next move should be.
What holds pork producers back from taking steps to implement a traceability process on their farm? Producers and experts in swine health share reasons why pork producers may be dragging their feet.
1. Lack of Urgency
The negative economic conditions in the pork industry today can create a feeling that foreign animal disease preparedness is a luxury, says National Pork Board’s chief veterinarian Dusty Oedekoven.
“Daily measures against endemic diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, mycoplasma and others have a measurable impact on productivity. If you have limited time and resources, you may not feel the urgency to prepare for a disease the U.S. doesn’t have. But that’s like waiting to replace the batteries in your smoke detector until the fire is already blazing,” Oedekoven says. “Traceability is a component of FAD preparedness to be prioritized for best results if (or when) an FAD is found in the U.S.”
2. Fear of Sharing Information
Sharing information is a big bottleneck, according to Michigan pork producer Joe Dykhuis.
“Our industry has been under attack by many groups who hate animal agriculture. Data hacking is a daily issue in the world we live in. Putting producer information into databases outside of producer control causes fear that people who want to hurt us will have a new opportunity to do so,” Dykhuis says.
He says it comes down to choosing between two choices that admittedly carry some risks: the ability to respond to or prevent foreign animal disease or the potential for people to know where every pig in the U.S. is or has been.
“I think I have options to de-risk the second issue, I can’t do anything independently with foreign animal disease,” Dykhuis points out.
3. Lack of Time and Money
Time is money and money is time. Increasing your traceability capabilities comes at a cost, says Clayton Johnson, DVM, of Carthage Veterinary Service.
“With 95% of pork producers in the U.S. being commodity producers where cost is king – time and money can be made available to this effort,” Johnson explains. “However, those pushing for increased traceability will need to make the case as to why pork producers should invest time and money into traceability versus all other competing investment opportunities. Opportunities are infinite, but time and money are very finite.”
4. Busyness
As a pig farmer, Alan Wulfekuhle says he’s a bit biased, but raising pigs is one of the most difficult professions someone could choose. Pig farmers are busy.
“Between keeping the pigs healthy, finding and keeping good employees, trying to make a profit, and dealing with the daily grind of just trying to get everything done, there is never enough time in a day,” Wulfekuhle says.
He’s grateful the team at the National Pork Board kept this in mind when they built AgView as the U.S. pig traceability system. Inputting data into AgView is simple, but he also understands why producers may balk at one more thing on their plate.
5. Complacency
The industry has survived and thrived for a long time with no better traceability tools than we have now, Oedekoven says.
“ASF exploded in China in 2018, and there are currently no cases in the U.S. FMD hasn’t been diagnosed in the U.S. in nearly 100 years. I think there is a false sense that these diseases won’t enter the U.S.,” he says. “The number of countries and regions where ASF and FMD are found continues to expand, and the trade and economic impacts are real. Therefore, being ‘FAD-ready’ with a national traceability system should be everyone’s priority.”
Read More:
Traceability is Not New: What it Means to the Pork Industry
Traceability is the Missing Link, Pork Producer Says
Show Pig Industry Gathers to Discuss ASF Prevention and Preparedness
