Foreign Animal Diseases

A foreign animal disease (FAD) impacting swine, would cause economic damage across several parts of the U.S. ag sector, says an Iowa State University study.  The Center for Ag and Rural Development at ISU says FADs such as African swine fever (ASF) or foot and mouth disease (FMD) would cause pork prices to fall 50-60%, and pork production would drop about 14% initially. Those declines come from a complete shutdown of U.S. pork exports, which is the marketing channel for 28% of U.S. pork.

The economic impacts would affect not only livestock and meat prices for pork producers, but also those in the beef and poultry sectors. Grain farmers would also be impacted as feed demand would drop as would farmland prices. Jobs would be lost.

That's why monitoring your pigs' health is so important to you and the rest of the ag industry.