20266801247019

African swine fever is a highly contagious and often fatal disease of domestic and wild pigs.

In severe outbreaks, nearly all infected pigs can die.

Although African swine fever is not currently established in U.S. domestic swine, its continued spread around the world poses a major threat to American agriculture, the pork industry, rural communities, and national food security.

An outbreak in the United States could result in the loss of large numbers of pigs, disruption of pork production and trade, and major economic consequences for farmers and the broader agricultural sector.

The Center for African Swine Fever Research, Extension and Education (CAREE) brings together experts from multiple disciplines to help protect the United States from this threat.

CAREE will focus on developing practical tools that can be used before and during an ASF outbreak, including new and improved vaccines, faster and more accessible diagnostic tests, improved disease surveillance, and better strategies for preventing and controlling outbreaks in domestic and feral swine.

Importantly, CAREE will not focus on research alone.

The center will work directly with pork producers, veterinarians, animal health companies, government agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure that new technologies are developed and translated into tools that are practical, affordable, and ready for use.

CAREE will also provide training and educational programs to help farmers, veterinarians, students, and animal health professionals recognize African swine fever risks, strengthen disease-prevention and biosecurity practices, improve preparedness, and respond effectively if an outbreak occurs.

By integrating research, extension, and education, CAREE will strengthen the nation's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to African swine fever while preparing the next generation of veterinarians, scientists, and agricultural professionals to protect animal health, agricultural systems, and the U.S. food supply.

CAREE directly supports the goals of the USDA-NIFA Strengthening Agricultural Systems Program and the National Farm Security Action Plan, including national priorities to safeguard animal health through new tools and technologies for high-priority diseases such as African swine fever.

Benefits to stakeholders: CAREE will provide pig farmers and the U.S. pork industry with practical tools to protect animals, farms, livelihoods, and markets.

Faster and more reliable diagnostics, improved vaccines, better surveillance, and science-based disease-control strategies will strengthen preparedness, support earlier detection, and help limit the spread and economic impact of an African swine fever outbreak.

Extension and training programs will give producers and veterinarians practical guidance on biosecurity, disease recognition, surveillance, sample collection, and outbreak response, while improved surveillance and modeling tools will help federal and state animal health agencies make informed decisions and deploy resources more effectively.

CAREE will also create opportunities for veterinary pharmaceutical, vaccine, and diagnostic companies to work with researchers to develop, evaluate, and move new African swine fever products toward regulatory approval, manufacturing, and field use.

By emphasizing technology transfer and collaboration with industry, CAREE will help ensure that promising discoveries become practical, scalable, and commercially available tools.

Together, these efforts will strengthen the resilience of the U.S. swine industry, protect agricultural jobs and rural economies, support continued domestic pork production and international trade, and help safeguard the U.S. food supply and national food security.

Kansas State University

NOT APPLICABLE

10.310 - Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI)

Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition (IFSN) [USDA - NIFA]

Manhattan, Kansas 66506 United States

Single Zip Code

Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Strengthening Agricultural Systems (USDA-NIFA-AFRI-011677)