African swine fever: An unprecedented global threat - A challenge to livelihoods, food security and biodiversity. Call for action

Series of webinars
26 Oct 2020 - 30 Oct 2020

African swine fever (ASF) is one of the most devastating diseases affecting pigs across the globe today.

Outbreaks of ASF result in massive direct and indirect losses to the swine industry, making it economically devastating in countries with highly industrialised pig farming but also in those countries with small-scale or back-yard pig production.

Despite prevention and control efforts, ASF is present in wild or domestic pigs in regions of Asia, Europe and Africa and has led to an unprecedented crisis in the global pig sector. The current situation presents a global risk to animal health and welfare, national and international economies, rural development, social and political behaviour, national food security and national and international markets.

Building upon the experience of the long-standing collaboration between FAO and OIE for the management of animal health-related risks and in response to the request made at the 87th OIE General Session, the joint OIE FAO Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) launched the Initiative for the Global Control of ASF in July 2020 with the aim of fostering national, regional, and global partnerships, to strengthen control measures and to minimise the impact of this complex and challenging disease.

FAO and OIE called on countries and partners to join forces against this deadly pig disease. This Call for Action involved specialists from national Veterinary Services, industry, research, academia, and regional and international partners.

OBJECTIVES

  • Review existing and recently developed tools, mechanisms and practices to address the introduction and spread of ASF.
  • Make a global call for action to adopt and implement the GF-TADs Initiative for the Global Control of ASF.

Simultaneous translations were provided in English, French, Spanish, Russian and Chinese.

PRESENTATIONS

Setting the scene

  1. GF-TADs Global Control of African swine fever. A GF-TADs initiative
    Gregorio Torres, OIE
  2. African swine fever: situation and response
    Andriy Rozstalnyy, FAO

Session 1: Regional strategies

  1. Regional strategy for the control of African swine fever in Africa
    Ahmed Elsawalhy, Director of AU-IBAR; Hiver Boussini, Animal Health Officer; James Wabacha, Animal Health Expert
  2. EU's experience on the prevention, control and eradication of African swine fever
    Bernard Van Goethem, Director of Directorate G - Crisis preparedness in food, animals and plants, DG SANTE, EU Commission
  3. African swine fever in Asia and the Pacific
    Norio Kumagai, President of OIE Regional Commission for the Asia, Far East and Oceania, OIE delegate to Japan
  4. Regional efforts in the Americas to prevent ASF introduction
    Jaspinder Komal, OIE Delegate of Canada and Chairman of the GF-TADs Regional Steering Committee

Session 2: ASF virus characteristics and epidemiology: challenges for control and risk assessment and its implication for ASF control

  1. ASF virus resistance and epidemiological features: challenges for control
    Klaus Depner, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), International Animal Health, Germany
  2. EFSA’s Risk assessments on African swine fever
    Sofie Dhollander, European Food Safety Authority
  3. ASF in the smallholder pig value chain: a human dimension approach
    Erika Chenais, National Veterinary Institute, Sweden

Session 3: Biosecurity management of pig production - transformation of sector

  1. Adaptation and Upgradation of Biosecurity Systems in Large Pig Production Companies in China
    Jason Zhichun YAN, Xiaowen LI, New Hope Liuhe Group China
  2. How small scale low biosecurity pig sector could be transformed into more biosecure sustained systems
    Sharon Tsigadi, Farmers Choice Ltd - Kenya

Session 4: ASF control and impact on wild pigs and biodiversity 

  1. ASF control in wild boars - lessons learnt from EU
    Vittorio Guberti, Istituto Superiore Ricerca e Protezione Ambientale (ISPRA), Italy
  2. ASF control in wild boars in Belgium
    Annick Linden, Professor at the Faculty of Veterinary medicine, University of Liege, Belgium
  3. Challenges to wildlife management and conservation due to spread of ASF
    Sergei Khomenko, Disease Ecology Expert, FAO

Session 5: Vaccine and vaccination 

  1. Status in the development of ASFV live attenuated vaccines
    Manuel V. Borca, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, USA
  2. ASF Vaccination strategy: In different production system and epidemiological scenarios
    J.M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno, VISAVET Center, University Complutense of Madrid, España

Session 6: Diagnostics and disinfectants 

  1. ASF laboratory diagnostics and rapid tests: Practices, lessons learnt and perspectives
    Sandra Blome, German national reference laboratory for ASF, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut
  2. Disinfectants against ASF virus: efficacy evaluation
    Lindsay Gabbert, Research Scientist & John Neilan, Director of ScienceDepartment, Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, Plum Island AnimalDisease Center, USA
Keywords: African Swine Fever (ASF), Global

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CONTACTS

Andriy Rozstalnyy
FAO
[email protected]

Gregorio Torres
OIE
[email protected]