Reminder: SHIC Continues to Accept Research Funding Proposals for Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program

February 7, 2024 — Megan Niederwerder

The Swine Health Information Center leveraged a collaborative partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff to fund the 2-year $2.3 million Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program currently underway. SHIC, FFAR and Pork Checkoff now remind researchers that proposals continue to be accepted for priorities not adequately addressed in funded projects to date. Proposals are invited for submission and funding consideration to investigate cost-effective, innovative technologies, protocols, or ideas to enhance biosecurity during the wean-to-harvest phase of production.

The first and second rounds of proposal solicitation, selection, and funding are complete. The ongoing Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program research priorities focus on site and transportation biosecurity and cover five targeted areas - 1) personnel biocontainment and bioexclusion, 2) mortality management, 3) truck wash efficiency, 4) alternatives to fixed truck wash, and 5) packing plant biocontainment. SHIC seeks novel tools across all five areas to help result in comprehensive biosecurity enhancement.

Continued researchable interests include:

• Packing plant or other first point of concentration biocontainment
• Cost-effective transport biosecurity or alternatives to traditional truck wash, including cleaning and disinfection of trailers without water or without heating after initial water flush
• Artificial intelligence or other novel technology to monitor and evaluate biosecurity compliance
• Enhancing biosecurity of mortality management
• Industry barriers to biosecurity adoption and compliance • Novel air filtration technologies for cost-effective bioexclusion

Proposals must identify and include which of the research priorities is being investigated. They are expected to define current practices and investigate innovative and novel protocols or technologies that may have a cost, efficiency, or implementation advantage. Herd health status monitoring, instead of disease outbreak incidence, can be used to demonstrate success of the protocols or technologies and aid in a required economic analysis of cost-effectiveness. Collaborative projects that include pork industry, allied industry and/or academic public/private partnerships, which demonstrate the most urgency and timeliness of completion and that show efficient use of funds, will be prioritized for funding. If project duration is extended to assess seasonal effects, a justification for the timeline should be clearly stated. Proposals are capped at $200,000.

All proposals should be submitted via email to research@swinehealth.org using the proposal template and instructions found here. Questions can be directed to Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org.

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org

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Megan Niederwerder, Executive Director, Swine Health Information Center