Assessment of biosecurity policies and practices for the control of African swine fever virus on Ukrainian pig farms

Abstract

With monetary support from the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS), an investigative effort was undertaken to document the biosecurity practices employed by commercial pig producers in Ukraine to prevent the introduction of African swine fever virus (ASFV) on their farms. The cohort of farms selected and evaluated were owned by producers who were active members of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB). The assessment of biosecurity policies and practices consisted of an interview and in-person completion of a questionnaire that evaluated various aspects of biosecurity practices used on pig farms in Ukraine. The results of the interviews and completion of survey questionnaires support the conclusion that Ukrainian pig producers recognize the importance of farm biosecurity as it relates to preventing ASFV introduction on their farms and all the participating farms had biosecurity policies that were in force at the time of completion of the questionnaire. However, the results also support the conclusion that significant gaps in understanding about biosecurity exists and that there is a need for more education of Ukrainian pig producers about this critical aspect of health management and disease control. The broad impact of the project detailed that prospective, more comprehensive work on Ukrainian pig farms is required to adequately assist producers with ASFV control and effective applications of biosecurity