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SHIC research on ASF mitigants in feed encouraging

New research shows certain feed ingredients lessen the threat of African swine fever.

Megan Niederwerder with the Swine Health Information Center says their latest study tested three mitigants.

“Two of them were medium-chain fatty acid blends, and one of them was a formaldehyde propionic acid product. And what we were able to determine is that these chemical mitigants were effective at reducing infectivity of ASF.”

She tells Brownfield ASF survivability increases in colder temperatures.

“So mitigants could be particularly beneficial for reducing ASF infectivity if feed ingredients were stored in cold temperatures or in cold storage.”

Niederwerder says producers can help lower the risk of ASF with a multipronged approach that includes mitigants, storing at various temperatures, and looking at the importation of feed ingredients.