The Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Center says enhanced information sharing on domestic and international disease monitoring will be among SHIC’s top priorities during 2020.
The Swine Health Information Center’s Board of Directors, consisting of six representatives named by the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians and three at large producers approved, its 2020 plan of work and budget last month.
SHIC Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg explains the plan was developed in response to input gathered from a variety of stakeholders during the last quarter of 2019.
Each year there are certain things that are in common, even when I am talking to them individually and at different times, people tend to bring up the same things over and over again. The things in common have to do with transportation biosecurity, the opportunity for pathogens to be brought from first points of concentration like markets, like assembly points, back to the farm on the trucks or in other manners. That transportation biosecurity was a high priority.
Another high priority was an appreciation for and ask for enhancements of information, developing information, getting it out to the pork producers, the veterinarians as quickly as possible. People expressed appreciation for the domestic monitoring reports that we put out every month as well as for international reports and updated information about African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever and other things. They also said, what can we do better to make that information more actionable.
~ Dr. Paul Sundberg, Swine Health Information Center
Dr. Sundberg says, in addition to transportation biosecurity, one of the 2020 priorities will be enhancing the flow of information to producers on disease monitoring and analysis, African Swine Fever vaccine and other things.
