In preparation for writing the President’s Message, I often read the messages that previous AASV presidents imparted to the AASV membership. The March-April 2011 President-elect Message discussed opportunities for involvement by Dr Randy Jones.1 He noted that AASV and the National Pork Board (NPB) had committed themselves to eliminating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) from the swine population. Dr Jones went further to highlight regional control projects that were underway and learning from the projects to fuel further progress. Indeed, the industry has learned about PRRSV diagnostics, control, and management since 2011.
At the 55th AASV Annual Meeting in Nashville, a significant amount of the agenda focused on the potential control and elimination of pathogens from the swine herd, regionally and nationally. Dr Joel Nerem highlighted several topics:
- Understanding the cost of disease. The PRRSV is costing the domestic swine industry approximately $663 million annually in production losses and increased costs.2
- Implementing next generation bio- security for breeding herds,3,4 defined as 1) well executed industry standard mechanical transmission interventions, 2) air filtration to block aerosol transmission, and 3) year-round use of an appropriate feed mitigant. Also, dramatic improvement in wean-to-market biosecurity must move from “we know what to do – we just aren’t doing it.”
- The need for a “next generation” traceability system. The industry must work toward a traceability system that has 100% compliance. The system would be 1) real time, 2) accurate – as it happens, 3) easy to do, 4) mandatory, and 5) inexpensive. Dr Nerem advocated for use of the US Swine Health Improvement Plan4 for future endemic disease monitoring and elimination.
One of the Monday afternoon concurrent sessions focused entirely on Disease Elimination: Theory to Move us Forward. Pathogens discussed included Mycoplasma, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, PRRSV, and influenza. This session successfully incorporated a cross-species comparison with poultry.
So, my question for you: Where are you engaged in the disease elimination challenge? In thirteen years, will the AASV president be writing their message about the need for disease elimination or the successes of disease elimination?
Hopefully, you can see the historical successes we have had as a swine industry. Even more so, we must realize that those successes and our future success will depend on the combined efforts of the AASV, NPB, National Pork Producers Council, American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP), and American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). These organizations are only successful if they have active membership. Are you active in AASV as a committee member, engaged as a board representative for your region, active as an AASV representative to an AVMA committee, have a dual membership in AASV and AABP or AAAP to encourage communication and collaboration?
If you have questions, please contact your AASV staff or AASV board members to get started. The AASV organization needs you as part of its success for our industry!
Angela Baysinger, DVM, MSc
AASV President
References
*1. Jones R. Opportunities for involvement [Editorial]. J Swine Health Prod. 2011;19(2):83.
2. Holtkamp DJ, Kliebenstein JB, Neumann EJ, Zimmerman JJ, Rotto HF, Yoder TK, Wang C, Yeske PE, Mowrer CL, Haley CA. Assessment of the economic impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus on United States pork producers. J Swine Health Prod. 2013;21:72-84.
3. Havas K, Brands L, Cochrane R, Spronk G, Nerem J, Dee SA. An assessment of enhanced biosecurity interventions and their impact on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus outbreaks within a managed group of farrow-to-wean farms, 2020-2021. Front Vet Sci. 2022;9:952383. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.952383
4. Dee S, Brands L, Nerem J, Schelkopf A, Spronk G, Kikuti M, Corzo C, Havas K. Improvements in swine herd biosecurity reduce the incidence of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in breeding herds in the Midwestern United States. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2024;5:1-6. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.23.08.0437
*5. Holck T. How can US SHIP advance the control and elimination efforts of swine diseases? In: Proceedings of the Allan D. Leman Swine Conference. University of Minnesota; 2023:32.
* Non-refereed references.
Editorial Note: Dr Baysinger submitted her message for publication on February 23, 2024 prior to her passing on Friday, March 8, 2024.