While we have been lucky so far (knock on wood), there is still an ever-present chance that we could face a foreign animal disease outbreak. We talk at length about African Swine Fever or Foot & Mouth Disease, but there is a whole laundry list of diseases out there that could affect hog health. That is why the National Pork Board (NPB) is urging producers to take advantage of their AgView platform.
In November of last year, the NPB launched a new tool called AgView. It is meant for producers to keep track of their contact tracing data, premises data, and secure pork supply data for their hogs in an easy-to-use platform that is also easy to share if the worst were to happen. NPB Chief Veterinarian Dr. David Pyburn explains more.
Dr. Pyburn says that even though the pork industry hasn?t had to respond to a foreign animal disease for a long time. However, they have learned from other livestock industries about what needs to be done in the event of an outbreak. Just look no further than the Avian Influenza outbreak through the Midwest just a few short years ago.
Al Wulfekuhle is an Iowa pork producer and member of the National Pork Board. He says that it is nothing short of essential that producers all over the country opt-in to the AgView platform. He says there is nothing more devastating to a producer than to see your herd get sick. He says with the AgView tool, it will be so much easier for the State Veterinarians and proper agencies to stamp out any issues before they blow out of proportion.
Wulfekuhle says that he has always been passionate about pig health as a producer. So, when he came on to the National Pork Board, he was adamant that any tools that were made available for producers would be as easy as possible to use and get the information out if it is needed.
Ease of use was also something that the National Pork Board wanted when developing the technology in AgView.
Of course, producers may be concerned about the safety of their data. Dr. Pyburn says that all the information is encrypted and well protected. It is also not available to anyone unless the farmer opts to share it in the event of a disease outbreak.
To learn more, and to create your AgView account visit the pork checkoff website. AgView is made possible through the work of the Pork Checkoff.
