Diversified Local Supply Chains Help Reduce Risk of ASF Spread

The Regional Director of PIC EMEAR suggests the use of diversified local supply chains helps reduce the risks of spreading African Swine Fever in regions where the infection is present.

"African Swine Fever: Learning from the European Experience," will discussed as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2022 next month in Saskatoon.

Jurgen Kramer, the regional Director of PIC EMEAR, Europe Middle East Africa Russia notes, since its founding 60 years ago, one of the cornerstones of PIC has been health assurance.

Clip-Jurgen Kramer-PIC EMEAR:

We monitor very very intensively all the supply chain farms and all of the AI studs.That also includes regular testing for certain specific diseases.The testing results are always shared via a vet to vet principle.
That means information is shared with our customers.

In terms of the setup of the supply chain we have a diversified supply chain.That means in most of the key countries in the pig production in the EMEAR regions we have a local supply chain which diminishes the need on massive movements on breeding stock from countries to countries or from positive regions to positive regions but driving through negative countries, which is very difficult.

There, from a logistics standpoint, a diversified supply chain minimises significantly the risk for PIC but also for our customers, our supply chain partners and overall the industry.

Kramer says diseases can and do spread so African Swine Fever is not a country specific problem but rather a regional problem.