A review of strategies to impact swine feed biosecurity

Abstract

Global pork production has largely adopted on-farm biosecurity to minimize vectors of disease transmission and protect swine health. Feed and ingredients were not originally thought to be substantial vectors, but recent incidents have demonstrated their ability to harbor disease. The objective of this paper is to review the potential role of swine feed as a disease vector and describe biosecurity measures that have been evaluated as a way of maintaining swine health. Recent research has demonstrated that viruses such as porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and African Swine Fever Virus can survive conditions of transboundary shipment in soybean meal, lysine, and complete feed, and contaminated feed can cause animal illness. Recent research has focused on potential methods of preventing feed-based pathogens from infecting pigs, including prevention of entry to the feed system, mitigation by thermal processing, or decontamination by chemical additives. Strategies have been designed to understand the spread of pathogens throughout the feed manufacturing environment, including potential batch-to-batch carryover, thus reducing transmission risk. In summary, the focus on feed biosecurity in recent years is warranted, but additional research is needed to further understand the risk and identify cost-effective approaches to maintain feed biosecurity as a way of protecting swine health.

Effect of mixing and feed batch sequencing on the prevalence and distribution of African swine fever virus in swine feed

“…Outbreaks of PEDV in North America were the first events with a potential link between contaminated feed and transmission of disease to pigs (Scott et al, 2016 ). Since then, veterinarians, producers, and feed manufacturers have focused their efforts in preventing biological hazard transmission through the feed supply chain using both prevention and biosecurity strategies (Stewart et al., 2020 ; USDA‐APHIS, 2019 ). Potential solutions to ensure feed safety have routinely included different types of mitigation strategies, either utilizing these strategies alone, or in combination with each other to reduce potential PEDV contamination within the feed (Cochrane et al., 2015 , 2017; Gebhardt et al., 2016 , Schumacher et al., 2019 ).…”

Sampling and detection of African swine fever virus within a feed manufacturing and swine production system

“…Because of the high degree of interconnectedness of the feed supply, the current investigation began by evaluating surfaces associated with the manufacture and delivery of swine feed. Additional information reviewing the principles underlying biosecurity plans for feed mills and review of strategies to reduce pathogen transmission through swine feed can be found elsewhere (Cochrane et al., 2016 ; Stewart et al., 2020 ).…”

New perspectives for evaluating relative risks of African swine fever virus contamination in global feed ingredient supply chains

“…Virus transmission from contaminated ingredients can occur if enough of viable virus survives the production process or is introduced from cross-contamination post-processing from surfaces, dust, foot traffic and other vectors (Stewart et al, 2020). Porcine viruses have been shown to contaminate feed processing facilities, especially dust particles (Schumacher et al, 2017).…”