Proposals Confirm Critical Need for Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research
Experts say the best way to help control the next emerging disease in the U.S. pork industry is to enhance wean-to-harvest biosecurity.
That's why the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), along with the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff, joined together last summer to fund and launch a two-year Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program.
A call for research proposals was announced last October with the goal of investigating cost-effective, innovative technologies, protocols or ideas to enhance biosecurity during the wean-to-harvest phases of production.
SHIC was hopeful for a good response and they did even better, receiving more than 41 proposal submissions.
"The Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program proposals received by SHIC, coming from private companies as well as universities in the U.S. and around the world, cover a diverse set of research priorities with a range of time and cost requirements for completion, all with the goal of addressing an identified vulnerability to swine health. Proposals are currently under review by two industry-wide task forces formed by SHIC – one for site-oriented projects and the other for transportation-related work," SHIC said in a release.
Approximately $2.3 million is available for Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program research. Proposals are capped at $200,000, but individual proposals may be higher with sufficient justification for a project that will be unique, high impact and have industry-wide benefits, the release noted.
"The task forces will evaluate proposals’ overall value to the pork industry, likelihood of achieving objectives, experimental design including health and economic outcome effectiveness, as well as justification for cost and time," SHIC said.
The SHIC Board of Directors along with FFAR and National Pork Board representatives will review task force recommendations and make the final decision on funding in January 2023. The anticipated timeline for funding awards and research project commencement is February 2023. SHIC will report research results providing value and information back to the swine industry as soon as they become available.
"The Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program not only reflects SHIC’s responsiveness to an identified health vulnerability but further illustrates collaboration, with FFAR and NPB in this instance, to stretch SHIC’s producer Checkoff funds to safeguard the health of the U.S. swine herd," SHIC said. "Proactively enhancing wean-to-harvest biosecurity will help control the next emerging disease in the U,S. pork industry, part of SHIC’s mission."
Read More:
JEV: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
