The World Pork Expo is the premier event to talk about the pork industry, policies, innovations, products, and sample some delicious pork dishes. The annual event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines, is usually packed with participants from all over the world. However, we have not seen the annual event in almost three years.
Two unprecedented years hit the pork industry back-to-back. In 2019, concerns over the spread of African Swine Fever led to the Expo being canceled in an attempt to mitigate the risk of the disease coming into the Western Hemisphere. In 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak placed grouping and crowd restrictions on events around the globe and forced the event to cancel once again.
This year, the plan is to bring back a sense of normality and pride to the pork industry by hosting the event once again. Full health and safety precautions will be in place for human and animal diseases. National Pork Producers Council President and Iowa producer Jen Sorenson talks about the excitement of having the event this year.
With the rise in COVID-19 vaccinations, it is hard to pinpoint who has been vaccinated and who is not. When it comes to monitoring the safety of the attendees, Jim Monroe of NPPC says they will closely follow the latest CDC guidelines at the time of the event. The NPPC has been very proactive in urging producers to get vaccinated.
The World Pork Expo will be June 9-11 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. For more information visit worldpork.org.
