IDALS Works to Prepare for Potential African Swine Fever Outbreak

Volume 40 | January 14, 2019

The ongoing spread of African swine fever has experts concerned about the long-term damage it could cause to agriculture.

Preparations are being made in the event the spread becomes a full-fledged outbreak.

African swine fever was first detected in Kenya in 1921. The disease is spread among pigs by direct transmission through bodily fluids or by consuming contaminated meat discarded by humans.

The highly-communicable disease started being reported in 2014, alarming veterinarians and livestock producers around the world.

Dozens of outbreaks have occurred in China since the first case in that country was reported there Aug. 3. China has culled thousands of pigs in an effort to curb its spread.

The disease arrived in western Europe this fall for the first time ever, in what officials believe is a simultaneous outbreak. The World Organization for Animal Health believes humans are responsible for spreading the disease to Belgium.

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In the News

‘Target TB’ C ollaboration Hopes to Offer Genetic Solutions to Bovine Tuberculosis

Gene editing is helping the bovine world make leaps and bounds through genetic improvement. You may have heard of the success story of the world’s first gene-edited polled calf. Another on the list of possibilities is resistance to bovine tuberculosis.

PEDv Found in Alberta Hog Herd

After several years without an outbreak, the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) has been found in Alberta, Canada. The virus was found on a 400-head farrow-to-finish operation. Alberta Pork says while both the barn and animals have been contained, pork producers need to heighten their biosecurity practices.

Gene-edited Farm Animals are Coming. Will We Eat Them?

As scientists in labs across the world create virus-resistant pigs , heat-tolerant cattle and fatter, more muscular lambs , a big question looms: Will regulation, safety concerns and public skepticism prevent these advances from becoming anything more than fascinating laboratory experiments, or will the animals transform agriculture and the food supply? So far, gene-editing tools have jump-started research worldwide, creating more than 300 pigs, cattle, sheep and goats.

WI-Origin Tags Available Online!

WLIC is selling Wisconsin-branded tags, as well as readers and taggers on our website in the online store!

The WLIC online store gives producers several options for purchasing the WI-Origin™ tags, including choice of style, color, and price. Other preferences include a selection of both RFID (radio frequency identification), or non-RFID tags.

WLIC is competitively priced and all proceeds will be used to fund our programs and services. In addition, Allflex, USA, provides WLIC with a 10-cent rebate for every Wisconsin-branded tag sold.