FFAR Grant Develops Additional African Swine Fever Vaccines

November 14, 2022 — 

With no commercially available vaccine for African swine fever virus (ASFV), the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) recently awarded a $500,000 Rapid Outcomes from Agriculture Research (ROAR) grant to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and a $150,000 to Kansas State University to develop safe and rapidly deployable vaccines for ASFV, to mitigate the spread and decrease fatalities in case of an outbreak. National Pork Board and MEDIAN Diagnostics provided matching funds for $1,000,000 and $300,000 total investments, respectively.

"We have seen the devastating effects of ASFV in other countries, and now is the time to invest in pioneering research that will hopefully spare U.S. swine and pig producers should an outbreak occur in the United States," said FFAR Executive Director Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin.

ASFV affects pig populations in many countries globally but has not yet impacted North America. However, if the virus reaches pigs in the United States, there would be significant economic impacts to the agriculture sector, including the commercial availability of pork products. Developing vaccines to protect swine from ASFV will further protect pigs and producers across the pork supply chain and global food security.

Read the full story at National Hog Farmer.

[Source: National Hog Farmer 10 November 2022]