An upcoming webinar on African swine fever (ASF) will share practical things farmers can do to prepare for a possible outbreak.

Head of animal health and welfare at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Mandy Nevel, and chief executive of the National Pig Association (NPA), Lizzie Wilson, will co-host the event.

The webinar will run from 5:00p.m until 7:00p.m on Monday, June 3, 2024.

Nevel and Wilson will explore what farmers can do to prepare their business, who is responsible for what and how the industry would need to work together if there was an outbreak.

The meeting will cover:

Spotting the clinical signs of ASF;
Effective biosecurity precautions;
Establishing an emergency plan for your business;
The possible impact of being placed in a temporary control zone.

African swine fever

African swine fever (ASF) is a virus that affects pigs and wild boar and can result in high mortality rates.

ASF is well-established within parts of Europe, Russia and China, with a reservoir of infection in the wild boar population.

Focus must be on ensuring ASF does not spread further, AHDB said.

AHDB said it is urging all pig producers to ensure their biosecurity is tight, particularly vehicles, animals and people coming on to their units.

"We need all pig producers, farmers and the public to pull together to keep this disease out."

Signs of ASF include:

High fever;
Loss of appetite;
Haemorrhages in the skin and internal organs;
Death in two to 10 days on average.