Statewide Iowa — (RI) — Pork producers in Iowa and across the country are growing increasingly concerned about the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Curtis Meier runs a 160 sow farrow-to-finish operation in southwest Iowa near Clarinda.
ASF has been spreading in China in recent months and products with the virus have been detected in Australia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Here in Iowa, Meier says producers have always emphasized biosecurity on their farm, but there are some things they just can’t control.
Livestock economist Steve Meyer says African Swine Fever could have a big impact on hog prices in coming months. If ASF continues to spread in China, it could be positive for U.S. pork producers.
But if AFS were to enter the U.S., Meyer says, it would obviously be devastating.
But Meyer also thinks the U.S. is much better prepared to deal with an ASF outbreak, which could limit any potential long-term damage to markets.
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