Think Twice About Feed Biosecurity on Your Pig Farm
Scott Dees United Pork Americas Updated
Although global risk of pathogen movement through feed is not a new topic in the U.S., around the globe there is less awareness of this pathway for disease to enter a swine farm. It wasn’t that long ago that porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) virus hit the U.S. in a fury.
This started a chain reaction among some of the greatest minds in the swine industry to find out not only how to stop this deadly virus, but also how to prevent it from coming into farms.
For Scott Dee, director of research for Pipestone, this became a pivotal moment in his career nearly eight years ago to the day when he discovered and proved that feed could be a vehicle for PED transmission to pigs. It marked the first-of-its-kind proof-of-concept work that had ever shown viruses could move in feed.
“That got me started,” Dee says. “Our group at Pipestone, as well as other university colleagues, began to replicate that work across multiple viruses. Now that's been demonstrated with African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever virus, pseudorabies virus, foot-and-mouth disease virus, Seneca virus and PRRS virus. Over time, we've built a very large set of data supporting the fact that feed is a vehicle for the transmission of diseases.”
Real Problem-Solving for Real Farmers
Trying to solve problems on the farm pushed Dee and others to make these discoveries, he explains. Armed with this new knowledge, he wants to continue encouraging farmers to think about how they can take their biosecurity plans one step further by considering a feed mitigation plan to shut one more open window to deadly pathogens that can take down pig farms.
“I think this is something we have overlooked in the past, and in some cases are still overlooking, so we need to raise awareness and keep educating,” Dee says.
Dee will be sharing his findings, in addition to the larger work that’s happening in the industry in this area of feed biosecurity and risk management.
“We are going to talk about the science behind that information. What are the facts that support what is a true risk? We'll talk about how we've been evaluating what's coming into the United States from other countries. How do we do that and what do we learn from it? Then we'll talk about what should we do about it,” Dee says.
Feed mitigants are one way to stop the spread of pathogen movement in feed, Dee says. He plans to discuss additives that can reduce virus survival. He will also discuss the latest research in holding time and temperatures, among other ways that pork industry is coming up with good biosecurity practices that are science-based to reduce risk.
“We'll start with the facts. Then, we'll get into the practical application at the farm level, as well as what other countries are doing at the borders,” he adds.
Where the Next Research Study Starts
Dee says he prioritizes educational events like United Pork Americas because it’s a great opportunity to learn new information and ask questions from experts in the field. Not to mention, there’s great value in interacting with colleagues, meeting new friends and creating new networks.
“It will be so nice to have a meeting in person as well since it's been a long time since we've been able to do that,” he says. “The virtual meetings have been okay, but the in-person meetings are so valuable for learning, sharing and networking.”
Personally, Dee goes to listen to questions producers, veterinarians and allied industry ask of the speakers.
“I get new ideas by listening to them. They may say something that catches my attention, such as a situation that they've experienced. That's where I get a lot of ideas for the projects that I've done is listening to those narratives,” Dee says.
Learn more about the event at hhttp://www.unitedporkamericas.com. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the mega trends impacting global pork production and how you can succeed in this dynamic industry.
Watch this video of Dee sharing what he hopes producers take away from his session at UPA.
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