Scoping Review of Disease Surveillance Practices and Veterinary Care Use in Small-Scale Swine Farms in the United States

TL;DR

This review examines disease surveillance and veterinary care use on small-scale U.S. swine farms to improve preparedness against serious pig diseases.

Contribution

The study provides the first scoping review on disease surveillance and veterinary care practices among U.S. small-scale swine farms.

Findings

Few sources reported on disease surveillance practices in small-scale swine farms.

Veterinary care use was limited due to cost, value, and accessibility concerns.

Little to no disease occurrence was reported on small-scale swine farms.

Abstract

In recent years, important diseases of pigs such as African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease have been spreading into many new regions, posing significant threats to animal health, food security, and economic stability of affected regions. The United States is free of these diseases, but to help protect our pig industry from these threats, it is vital that we conduct comprehensive surveillance to detect a potential introduction as early as possible. Currently, disease surveillance practices and veterinary care use amongst small-scale swine farmers are not well known. Here, we conducted a scoping review to assess available sources of evidence. We found that few sources reported on disease surveillance practices, and that veterinary care use was limited amongst small-scale swine farms. Future research is needed to understand these practices amongst the variety of small-scale swine owners and to develop sustainable and targeted outreach strategies. Ultimately, this will help to improve the preparedness of the United States pig industry for high-impact swine diseases.

The recent spread of foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever emphasizes the need to conduct comprehensive surveillance to detect a potential disease introduction as soon as possible. The United States is currently free of many important FADs of swine, and many preparedness initiatives have raised awareness amongst the commercial, intensive swine industry. However, the awareness and engagement of small-scale swine farmers regarding disease surveillance and passive reporting is not well known. This scoping review was conducted to identify and characterize sources of evidence on the practices and attitudes of small-scale swine farmers and owners in the United States regarding pig health and disease management, surveillance, and veterinary care use, and secondarily to characterize information seeking and communication behaviors. Sources of evidence were found through keyword searches of online databases, citation matching, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education project reports. Eligibility criteria included being conducted on or with US small-scale (defined in this review as less than 1000 pigs) or non-intensive swine farms and containing information pertinent to the objectives of the review. Seventeen sources were included in the final review. Regular disease monitoring and surveillance practices were not commonly reported, and multiple sources reported little to no incidence of disease occurrence in small-scale swine farms. Reported veterinary use and access was variable, and multiple sources reported that the choice to use veterinary care was affected by its perceived cost, value, and accessibility. Future research and outreach should aim to discern key factors affecting farmer’s decisions to use a veterinarian, improve their awareness and prioritization of swine diseases, and develop small-scale appropriate disease surveillance protocols. Ultimately, this will help small-scale swine farmers to protect the health of their pigs and improve FAD surveillance in the US.

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