Upskilling haematological services for WGS and germline assessments through a regional skin biopsy training programme

NHS England Genomics introduced whole genome sequencing (WGS) with standard-of- care (SoC) genetic testing for haemato-oncology patients who meet eligibility criteria, including patients with acute leukaemia across all ages, and exhausted SoC testing. Alongside, the role of germline mutations in haematological cancers is becoming increasingly recognised. DNA samples are required from the malignant cells (somatic sample) via a bone marrow aspirate, and from non-malignant cells (germline sample) for comparator analysis. Skin biopsy is considered the gold-standard tissue to provide a source of fibroblast DNA for germline analysis. Performing skin punch biopsies is not within the traditional skillset for haematology teams and upskilling is necessary to deliver WGS/germline testing safely, independently and sustainably. A teaching programme was designed and piloted by the dermatology and haematology teams in Sheffield and delivered throughout the NHS trusts in North East & Yorkshire Genomic Laboratory Hub. The training programme consisted of a 90-min session, slides, video and practical biopsy on pork belly or synthetic skin, designed to teach up to six students at one time. To disseminate best practice, the standard operating procedure and patient information used routinely in Sheffield were shared, to be adapted for local service delivery. From January 2021 to December 2022, 136 haematology staff from 11 hospitals, including 34 consultants, 41 registrars, 34 nurses and 8 physician associates, across the NEY GLH region completed the skin biopsy training programme. Feedback from the course was outstanding, with consistently high scores in all categories. Practical components of the course were especially valued;98.6% (71/72) trainees scored the practical element of the programme a top score of 5 out of 5, highlighting that despite the challenges of delivering face-to- face teaching due to COVID-19, teaching of practical skills was highly valued;training in this way could not have been replicated virtually. Costs of the programme have been approximately 16 000, including consultant input and teaching/educational materials. Recent support has been provided by a separately funded Genomic Nurse Practitioner (GNP), with succession planning for the GNP to take over leadership from the consultant dermatologist. Plans are in place to use the remaining budget to disseminate the programme nationally. Our training programme has shown that skin biopsy can be formally embedded into training for haematology consultants, trainees, nursing team, and physician associates. Delivery of training can be effective and affordable across regional GLHs with appropriate leadership and inter-speciality coordination, and ultimately sustainable with specialist nursing staff, including GNPs.

Areas within the United States at the Highest Risk for African Swine Fever, Classical Swine Fever, and Foot-and-Mouth Disease Introduction

Domestic livestock production is a major component of the agricultural sector, contributing to food security and human health and nutrition and serving as the economic livelihood for millions worldwide. The impact of disease on global systems and processes cannot be understated, as illustrated by the effects of the COVID-19 global pandemic through economic and social system shocks and food system disruptions. This study outlines a method to identify the most likely sites of introduction into the United States for three of the most concerning foreign animal diseases: African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever (CSF), and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). We first created an index measuring the amount of potentially contaminated meat products entering the regions of interest using the most recently available Agricultural Quarantine Inspection Monitoring (AQIM) air passenger inspection dataset, the AQIM USPS/foreign mail, and the targeted USPS/foreign mail interception datasets. The risk of introduction of a given virus was then estimated using this index, as well as the density of operations of the livestock species and the likelihood of infected material contaminating the local herds. Using the most recently available version of the datasets, the most likely places of introduction for ASF and CSF were identified to be in central Florida, while FMD was estimated to have been most likely introduced to swine in western California and to cattle in northeastern Texas. The method illustrated in this study is important as it may provide insights on risk and can be used to guide surveillance activities and optimize the use of limited resources to combat the establishment of these diseases in the U.S.

Tradeoff analysis of the pork supply and food security under the influence of African swine fever and the COVID-19 outbreak in China

China is the world's largest consumer of pork and grains. However, African swine fever (ASF) and the COVID-19 outbreak have greatly impacted the pork supply and food security in China. How can food security and the pork supply be ensured under the dual impacts of COVID-19 and ASF? This is a major problem to be urgently solved by the Chinese government. This study indicated that the main pork production and sales areas in China were separated, which reflected the spatial imbalance between the supply and demand. The total area of suitable selected sites for pig farms in China is 21.5 million ha. If only the areas with levels of high and moderate suitability are considered as potential sites for pig farms, the potential pork production can reach 56.1 million tons in China, which is slightly lower than demand. Due to the impact of the ASF epidemic, the food consumed by pigs has been reduced by 34.7 million tons. However, with increasing pork productivity in the future, the self-sufficiency rate of grains may further decline. On the premise that the quality of people's life is not affected, the diversification of meat supply channels should be realized in an orderly and sustainable way, which might alleviate the pressure on food supply. This study provides a theoretical reference for the spatiotemporal layout of the swine industry and addresses the issue of food security in China under the influence of ASF and the COVID-19 outbreak.

Classification of Common Food Lipid Sources Regarding Healthiness Using Advanced Lipidomics: A Four-Arm Crossover Study.

Prospective studies have failed to establish a causal relationship between animal fat intake and cardiovascular diseases in humans. Furthermore, the metabolic effects of different dietary sources remain unknown. In this four-arm crossover study, we investigated the impact of consuming cheese, beef, and pork meat on classic and new cardiovascular risk markers (obtained from lipidomics) in the context of a healthy diet. A total of 33 young healthy volunteers (23 women/10 men) were assigned to one out of four test diets in a Latin square design. Each test diet was consumed for 14 days, with a 2-week washout. Participants received a healthy diet plus Gouda- or Goutaler-type cheeses, pork, or beef meats. Before and after each diet, fasting blood samples were withdrawn. A reduction in total cholesterol and an increase in high density lipoprotein particle size were detected after all diets. Only the pork diet upregulated plasma unsaturated fatty acids and downregulated triglycerides species. Improvements in the lipoprotein profile and upregulation of circulating plasmalogen species were also observed after the pork diet. Our study suggests that, within the context of a healthy diet rich in micronutrients and fiber, the consumption of animal products, in particular pork meat, may not induce deleterious effects, and reducing the intake of animal products should not be regarded as a way of reducing cardiovascular risk in young individuals.

Hospital Initiative to Increase PlantPredominant Foods and Nutritional Education

Introduction: Due to reduction in cardiovascular risk, healthy, plant-based foods, as opposed to animal-derived products should be promoted to patients. We created a hospital initiative on the cardiac floors to educate the multidisciplinary staff to serve as advocates for healthy eating. Method(s): Housestaff participated in education sessions on the benefits of plant-predominant meals and patient counseling. More plant-predominant options were added to the menu and several unhealthy items were eliminated. Food orders were assessed pre-intervention (February 2020) and post-staged interventions (October 2020 and April 2022). Food choices were assessed using the healthful and unhealthful diet index. Press Ganey scores were obtained and housestaff comfort with diet counseling was also assessed. Result(s): Resident perception of their own knowledge went from "poor" to "good" post-intervention. Confidence in talking to patients about plant-based diets went from "not confident at all" to "fairly confident'. After analysis of diet orders, a 52% decrease was noted in animal-based products (chicken, beef, pork and turkey), 35% decrease in unhealthful food items (refined grains, processed foods, potatoes and sweetened beverages), and 25% decrease in plant-predominant food items (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, salads, legumes and fish), but this time period occurred in the setting of high COVID-19 rates. A subsequent analysis of a single cardiac unit after the COVID-19 surges and after select unhealthy items were removed from the menu showed notable improvements in each parameter when adjusted for discharges;a 2% increase in plant-based, 37% decrease in animal based and 4% decrease in unhealthy items. Press Ganey ratings for the quality of food increased post-initiative by at least 27%. Conclusion(s): This quality initiative was a local pilot to increase our understanding of interventions that may have a meaningful impact on healthy eating for patients. Interpretation of results is limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have impacted food choices of admitted patients. Although further research is needed, housestaff engagement may be a promising mechanism to educate patients and encourage food and nutrition changes in a health system.

How does imported pork regulate the supply and demand of China's pig market during the epidemic?-based on the analysis of African swine fever and COVID-19.

The pig industry is primarily a domestic industry in China is focused on ensuring the domestic pork supply. This paper analyzed changes in Chinese pork imports following the outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) and COVID-19 between January 2017 to November 2020 and evaluated the impact of imported pork on the development of the swine industry in China. The results demonstrated that the shortage of domestic pork supply changed the import volume. ASF transformed imported pork from a complementary product to meet the diversified needs of domestic consumers into a critical substitute required to fill the supply gap. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, the substitution effect of imported pork decreased. ASF, has caused the supply capacity of pork in China to decrease, the price of pork to increase, leading to increased pork import in January 2019. At the end of 2019, pig slaughter decreased, while China cut tariffs on imported pork. The COVID-19 outbreak did not reduce China's pork imports in China, which declined after the global COVID-19 outbreak. Imported pork has made up for the supply gap during COVID-19, not impacting the level of production of the swine industry in China.

Regulatory theater in the pork industry: how the capitalist state harms workers, farmers, and unions.

The United States pork sector generates billions of pounds of food and billions of dollars of sales and tax revenue per year. This industry has also generated hundreds of workers' deaths from covid infections, thousands of workers' injuries from hazardous working conditions, economic and environmental depletion of communities near production sites, and the massive decline of small hog farming operations - not to mention over a billion tons of fecal waste per year. Although pork companies, like most firms in the food industry, portray state regulation as a burden for commercial interests, we identify how the pork industry enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the state to create favorable conditions for three interrelated processes: 1) monopoly and monopsony power; 2) hyper-efficient but injurious working conditions; 3) union busting. Using structural contradictions theory, we explain the failure to protect workers, farmers, and communities as a feature of the fundamental contradiction between protection and accumulation within the capitalist state. We argue that the solution to pork industry harms is not more regulation but the outright replacement of currently existing capitalism.

Effects of adding different silver carp fish pastes on the quality of lion's head meatballs

To clarify the most suitable fish paste for preparing lion's head meatballs, this study investigated the effect of adding 6 different silver carp fish pastes: fresh unwashed (group 1-1), fresh washed (group 1-2), frozen unwashed without antifreeze agent (group 2-1), frozen washed without antifreeze agent (group 2-2), frozen unwashed with antifreeze agent (group 3-1), and frozen washed with antifreeze agent (group 3-2) on the basic nutrients, color, texture properties, waterholding capacity, sensory and flavor properties, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARs) value, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content of pork/fish composite meatballs. The results showed that the contents of protein and fat in meatballs from groups 2-1 and 2-2 were lower than those in groups 3-1 and 3-2, and the contents of water, protein and fat were 61.68%, 11.32% and 19.41% for group 2-1, and 62.45%, 11.09% and 19.33% for group 2-2, respectively. The gel properties, hardness, elasticity, cohesion, and sensory quality of groups 3-1 and 3-2 were significantly higher than those of groups 2-1 and 2-2 (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference compared with groups 1-1 and 1-2. The odor response value of groups 3 was lower than that of groups 1, and groups 3 had the highest sweetness value (3 039.66) and lowest bitterness value (534.59). The TBARs value and TVB-N content in groups 1-2, 2-2, and 3-2 (with washed fish paste) were significantly lower than those in groups 1-1, 2-1 and 3-1 (with unwashed fish paste) (P < 0.05). Since fresh fish paste is not easy to store and subject to spoilage, frozen washed fish paste with antifreeze agent can be used to produce composite meatballs.

Prevalence, bio-serotype, antibiotic susceptibility and genotype of Yersinia enterocolitica and other Yersinia species isolated from retail and processed meats in Shaanxi Province, China

This study characterized Yersinia enterocolitica and other Yersinia spp. isolated from retail and processed meats sampled in Yangling, Shaanxi Province, China (2018–2019). The detection rate of Yersinia -positive samples was 14.30% (86/600). Yersinia was commonly prevalent in beefs (32.00%), frozen meats (25.00%), packaged meats (21.65%), and meats from supermarkets (17.23%). Y. enterocolitica was identified as the most prevalent species (50.00%, 62/124), followed by Y. frederiksenii (24.19%), Y. intermedia (16.94%), and Y. kristensenii (8.87%). Most Y. enterocolitica isolates were of bio-serotype 1A/nt (67.74%). Sixty-three isolates (50.81%) carried yst B and two isolates (1.61%) carried rfb C. Yersinia isolates were commonly resistant to ampicillin (91.94%), cefazolin (71.77%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (56.45%), cefoxitin (28.23%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (1.61%). Sixty-six isolates (53.23%) were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Pulse field gel electrophoresis analysis revealed that the genetic homology of Yersinia isolates between pork, beef, and chicken was low, as was that of biotype 1A isolates. The results indicate that Y. enterocolitica and other Yersinia spp. (especially bio-serotype 1A/nt, ampicillin-resistant, and yst B-carrying strains) are prevalent in retail and processed meats in the study area, which provides valuable baseline data for food safety and public health safeguarding. • Yersinia spp. with different characteristics were prevalent in retail meat. • Yersinia enterocolitica was the most commonly detected species. • Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 1A isolates carried gene yst B and resisted multiple antibiotics. • The genetic relationship of Yersinia isolates between pork, beef, and chicken was diverse. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of LWT - Food Science & Technology is the property of Academic Press Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Contamination assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh pork in the post-epidemic era

[Background] The epidemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at the end of 2019 brought challenges to food safety. 【Objective】To evaluate the contamination of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh pork sold in the post-epidemic era. [Methods] During the epidemic period from 2020 to 2021, fresh pork from different locations, different packaging methods and different seasons were selected to analyze the contamination rate and contamination level of Listeria monocytogenes, and the epidemiological characteristics of the isolated strains were analyzed. [Results] The contamination rate of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh pork was 15.28% (77/504), and the contamination rate in pork direct-sale stores and farmers' markets was higher than that in supermarkets. Among different packaging methods, the contamination rates of pre-packaging and simple packaging were higher than those of bulk samples, and there were significant differences in the contamination rates in different quarters, with the highest contamination rate in the third quarter, which was 27.78%. Quantitative results found that 40.26% exceeded 10 MPN/g (MPN: most probable number), and 3 samples had contamination levels over 100 MPN/g. The results of serotype analysis showed that 1/2a-3a (48.05%) and 1/2c-3c (44.16%) were the main serotypes. The results of drug resistance test showed that 19.50% of the isolates were multi-drug resistant, 2 (2.60%) were sensitive to all antibiotics, 68 (88.30%) were resistant to oxacillin, and 46 (59.70%) were resistant to oxacillin. Ampicillin-resistant, 45 strains (58.40%) were resistant to cefotaxime. 【Conclusion】In the post-epidemic era, there are different degrees of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in the marketed fresh pork in different locations, different packaging methods and different seasons. The contamination level of individual products is high, and the serum distribution and drug resistance characteristics are diverse. It is necessary to strengthen food safety supervision to reduce the occurrence of foodborne diseases.

Design and Implementation of Pork Freshness Grading Based on Deep Learning

China is the world's largest pork production and consumption country, with the improvement of people's living standards and consumption upgrade, people's demand for fresh pork and other fresh products is stronger. With the outbreak of African Swine Fever and COVID-19 in China in the past two years, cold chain transportation of pork will replace live pigs as the main mode of pork supply chain. As one of the most important branches of machine learning, deep learning has developed rapidly in recent years and attracted extensive attention at home and abroad. In order to improve the real-time detection of pork freshness, this paper experimented with a variety of deep learning frameworks to achieve pork freshness classification. In this paper, pork freshness is divided into 5 levels according to TVB-N content, and the pictures taken are trained by different deep learning networks, including VGG, GoogLeNet and RestNet. After analyzing the training situation of each network, the advantages of different networks are absorbed and a new improved neural network is built to predict pork freshness. The final classification accuracy reached 97%, Indicating that this is a very efficient and accurate pork freshness classification method. © 2021 IEEE.

Cholera

Cholera, a diarrheal infection caused by the gram-negative bacillus Vibrio cholerae, belongs to the Vibrionaceae family. According to the who in 2017, 34 countries reported a total of 1 227 391 cases of cholera and 5 654 deaths, with a fatality rate of 0.5%. The Asian continent is responsible for 84% and Africa for 14% of all cholera cases worldwide, and in America, Haiti reported 13 681 cases (1%). Practically, most of the cases correspond to developing countries, which translates to us a health problem and/or infrastructure (access to safe water), conditions for outbreaks and epidemics. In Mexico, in 2018 a case was reported in an adult, being the human intestine is not the only reservoir of V. cholerae 01, since it survives and multiplies in estuaries, swamps, rivers and in the sea. Some fish and various shellfish, especially bivalve molluscs from contaminated waters, are a potential source of transmission if eaten raw or undercooked. It can also be spread through other types of food such as rice, coconut water, undercooked pork, and vegetables irrigated with black water. The route of transmission is fecal-oral. Outbreaks associated with the ingestion of contaminated water appear explosively and are generally related to a common source. Cholera occurs mainly in low socioeconomic environments with poor sanitation conditions, it is frequent in people who are exposed to consumption of river water and/or street foods and in food handlers. Given all these aspects, we must always think about this pathology, given the sanitary conditions that are currently distracting from the current coronavirus pandemic, coupled with many regions with floods and the consumption of contaminated water.

Impact of COVID-19 epidemic on China's pig industry and countermeasures

The impact of COVID-19 epidemic on China's pig. industry was analyzed from pig production. pork consumption and pig prices. The results showed that the epidemic led to the poor circulation of feed and livestock products. the increase of operating costs of breeding enterprises, the difficulty of starting work of feed enterprises and slaughtering enterprises etc., which significantly hindered the. recovery process of pig production capacity, and affect the realization of the goal of pig production capacity recovery throughout the year;the total consumption and outdoor consumption of pork decreased significantly, but the proportion of pork consumption added indirectly With the consumption of poultry meal and eggs increased, the price of pigs increased in general and the regional price gap widened. In the shun term. [he pig industry would face the problems of the situation that prevention of Africa swine fever was still severe and the support policies fall into the "difficulties of grass-roots implementation", and so on. Based on this. policy suggestions were put forward.

Research update: optimizing the use of American rescue funds in pork and beef

The American Rescue Funds Program seeks improvements to infrastructure, capacity, and diversification in meat and poultry processing, with clear prioritization of increased competition via small- and medium-sized processing facilities. The need to euthanize animals at a time when retailers were rationing meat sales was one of several examples of market failures during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the disruptions to agricultural meat, poultry, and egg production at $15 billion based on CFAP and CFAP2 payments. Marani et al. (2021) estimate the probability of a repeat event at 1% to 2% per year, justifying the use of these public funds to add surplus capacity and infrastructure to mitigate disruptions in case of recurrence. Economics of scale are modest beyond slaughter of more than 125 head per hour in beef plants and 2,000 head per day in pork plants (Duewer and Nelson, 1991;Ollinger, MacDonald, and Madison, 2005). Dozens of such "medium-sized" U.S. pork and beef processing plants have survived since 2000, typically relying upon niche market connections. Given historic processing plant construction costs for medium-sized plants (Aherin, 333333 2021) and an assumed 20% USDA grant to incentivize construction, a $100 million expenditure on each of the beef and pork plants creates an opportunity to add as much as 5% additional capacity for each species, easing current capacity as the industries prepare for local and export growth. Whether producer-ownership of capacity can generate stability and additional benefits in the supply chains is of key interest. Models of producer ownership-including cooperatives and carefully structured LLCs-allow livestock producers to capture processing margins and remove some of the price uncertainty around live animal prices to the plant and producer. It follows, too, that producer-ownership can therefore reduce the ability of existing larger plants to poach supply from medium-sized plants during the crucial startup phase and ensure that plants run at optimum capacity. A significant portion of the additional capacity added to the pork industry in the last 15 years exhibited some form of producer ownership. Anecdotally, the pork and beef sectors may be moving away from commodity production and into systems that maintain animal identity from farm to consumer. Producers have an opportunity to capitalize on this shift by collectively investing in medium-sized plants with the ability to preserve identity and be more responsive to evolving consumer preferences. An overarching concern is of the need to maintain capacity into the future and the potential of existing packers to acquire this subsidized capacity should medium sized processing fail.

Optimal Breeding Strategy for Livestock with a Dynamic Price

China’s livestock output has been growing, but domestic livestock products such as beef, mutton and pork have been unable to meet domestic consumers’ demands. The imbalance between supply and demand causes unstable livestock prices and affects profits on livestock. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide the optimal breeding strategy for livestock farmers to maximize profits and adjust the balance between supply and demand. Firstly, when the price changes, livestock farmers will respond in two ways: by not adjusting the scale of livestock with the price or adjusting the scale with the price. Therefore, combining the model of price and the behavior of livestock farmers, two livestock breeding models were established. Secondly, we proposed four optimal breeding strategies based on the previously studied models and the main research method is Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle. Optimal breeding strategies are achieved by controlling the growth and output of livestock. Further, their existence was verified. Finally, we simulated two situations and found the most suitable strategy for both situations by comparing profits of four strategies. From that, we obtained several conclusions: The optimal strategy under constant prices is not always reasonable. The effect of price on livestock can promote a faster balance. To get more profits, the livestock farmers should adjust the farm’s productivity reasonably. It is necessary to calculate the optimal strategy results under different behaviors.

USDA outlook for 2021 shows healthy recovery

It is reported that the USDA outlook for US agriculture in 2021 is generally positive. Most agricultural markets, including the major markets for Iowa, have recovered from the depths of the price declines that struck during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the basic statistics (such as production, exports, imports, and prices) for cattle/beef, pigs/pigmeat, maize and soyabeans are presented.

A comparison of food safety conformity between cattle and pig slaughterhouses

The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the level of conformity with food safety requirements in cattle and pig slaughterhouses in the qualification procedure of beef and pork suppliers to a large-scale meat processing plant. Seventy-two slaughterhouses supplying beef and pork to the meat processing plant were audited. The audits were carried out in 2019–2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the evaluated slaughterhouses met the audit requirements, but 10% were not qualified. There were two and half times more disqualified pig slaughterhouses than cattle ones. Large-sized slaughterhouses were scored significantly better than the medium-sized ones. The results made it possible to identify areas requiring urgent improvement in slaughterhouses, especially in the case of food safety/HACCP and non-conformities control, site hygiene, and pest control. Significantly more complete fulfillment of the requirements was found in cattle than in pig slaughterhouses. The highest differences between cattle and pig slaughterhouses were found in the area of site hygiene, pest control, and production process criteria. The highest scored criterion for both types of slaughterhouse was SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 issues. This indicates that prevention spreading of COVID-19 in the work environment was highly ensured.

Integrated Pork Production During a Global Pandemic: Impact on the Live Production Supply Chain, Feed Mills, & Nutrition

The global COVID-19 pandemic of 2020/2021 resulted in widespread impacts on the production & processing of animal proteins. Specifically, the U.S. pork industry was hit with multiple, long-term plant closures and slow-downs due to labor safety issues and availability, resulting in a backlog reaction felt throughout the live production supply-chain. Impact and timing differed by region and required variable strategies to address them. While some plants in the Western United States weren’t impacted until the latter stages of the pandemic and thus were attempting to add valuable liveweight, other regions, including the Midwest and Southeastern United States were experiencing moderate to severe reductions in processing capacity that created an accumulation of heavy animals and placed additional feed and ingredient demands on the feed mills. The backlog also reduced available space & disrupted the normal barn fill/empty cycles. While there was no way to prepare for these impacts, university & industry groups attempted to fill the knowledge gap with management and nutritional tools to address the issues of excess inventory, decreasing feed capacity, and supply-chain disruptions. Numerous approaches were employed, including altered grading strategies, sow breeding target reductions, double/triple stocking situations, and feed, ingredient, and nutrient manipulation meant to slow down growth rate and feed intake. Nutritional strategies included the feeding of low energy ingredients as well as low protein/high methionine diets designed to reduce the growth rate of both heavy and light animals. While several of these strategies resulted in moderate success, some resulted in additional issues including stress-related vices, ulcers, increased mortality, and sub-optimal carcass characteristics. Ultimately, continuous planning, coordination, and communication between the plants, feed mills, nutritionists, and production groups enabled a return to normalcy, and while we hope to never experience a pandemic again, we are left with knowledge that will improve the resilience of the U.S. pork industry.

Innovative Strategies for Managing Swine Welfare During Natural Disasters

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization. By April 2020, COVID-19 resulted in the simultaneous closure or reduced operations of many processing plants in the upper Midwest, which quickly resulted in supply chain disruptions. Iowa is the leading pork production and processing state, and these disruptions caused producer uncertainty, confusion, and stress, including time-sensitive challenges for maintaining animal care. The Resource Coordination Center (RCC) was quickly created and launched from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The RCC had strategic collaborations with public representation from the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Pork Industry Center, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and private partners through producers, veterinarians, and technical specialists. The RCC’s mission was four-fold: (1) implement appropriate actions to ensure the health and safety of RCC members, stakeholders, and the public, (2) evaluate and reassess appropriate actions as needed for continuity of pork production operations, (3) provide information to pork producers during supply chain disruptions, and (4) maintain a safe and abundant pork supply for consumers. The command structure included Incident Commanders, Command Staff, and four Section Chiefs whom worked with their respective experts. Sections covered (1) operations, (2) planning, (3) logistics, and (4) finance and administration. As it related to animal welfare, the RCC provided information on management decisions, dietary alterations to slow pig growth, pig movement to increase living space, alternative markets, on-farm euthanasia and mass depopulation. Veterinary oversight was continually maintained. A manual was created to provide up-to-date information to inform producer decisions and aid. Although originally created for swine, the RCC also assisted poultry, cattle and sheep producers. In a crisis, Iowa created a model that reacted to producer’s pragmatic and emotional needs. This model could be replicated for any emergency by other states.