Vets to deliver ASF contingency planning workshops
'The threat of ASF is real, and one that should not be ignored- - AHDB.
Veterinary practices across England will be supporting pig producers in working with their vets to produce farm-level contingency plans for African Swine Fever (ASF).
The face-to-face training, which will run in conjunction with the National Pig Association, has been announced by AHDB to help ensure all levels of industry are prepared should an outbreak of ASF occur.
It will be delivered through a series of workshops covering the clinical signs of ASF, how it spreads and the knock-on effects to business and neighbouring farms. Participants will also work through contingency plans.
The AHDB hopes that having producers and vets working alongside each other will help to streamline the process should the worst happen.
It notes: 'The threat of ASF is real, and one that should not be ignored. It is a virus that affects pigs and wild boar, can result in high mortality rates and is already well established in parts of Europe. When it hits, it hits hard.
'Preparation is key to understanding and mitigating some of the consequences should you find yourself on an affected premises or inside a control zone following an outbreak of not just ASF but any notifiable disease, such as foot-and-mouth.
'It is why we are stepping up our efforts to get more producers to develop contingency plans in conjunction with their vets'.
Plans to roll out the training to vets across the country will be announced though a ‘through the trainer’ session at the upcoming Pig Veterinary Society (PVS) autumn meeting.
Joanne Webster, a professor of parasitic diseases at the RVC, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
