The scourge of hog producers in the '90s wasn't just the price crash of the late '90s. Many lost out to a wicked disease before that crash ever came around- pseudorabies. Some of those who survived it were faced with depopulating and repopulating their herds.
Thanks to efforts of producers and the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, those days are behind producers in the Hoosier state. Indiana just reached a milestone in eradicating this disease when it was declared pseudorabies –free again for another year. It's the fifth consecutive year that Indiana has received notice of reaching this status. Officially, the notice recognized Indiana's Stage V State-Federal –Industry Pseudorabies Eradication Program status.
For those who were born after hog cholera, but who heard stories about that dreaded disease, pseudorabies was their chance to see firsthand how a serious disease could be brought under control with vigilance and sacrifice. Those who live through this process and can remember when the disease was widespread and a real threat in counties where there were large swine herds, word that Indiana is pseudorabies free for the fifth straight year is a major accomplishment indeed.
After this notice was announced, the Indiana Board of Animal Health made another strategic move that could reward large producers for doing a good job in helping curtail the spread of such contagious and devastating diseases. BOAH has implemented what's known as the Interstate Movement of Swine with a Production System program. Simply put, it allows producers to move their own animals between their facilities without animal ID and without a certificate of veterinary inspection. These certificates are known in the industry as CVI forms.
BOAH isn't handing out this privilege to just anyone or for any reason. Several requirements must be met before a facility can use the system, officials say. One part of the program calls for a detailed written swine production health plan to be developed. The herd veterinarian in such an operation must sign and retain a copy of the plan.
If you think this plan might benefit you and your operation, you're encouraged to learn more about it. Contact Melissa Justice at BOAH at 317-439-4888, or by emailing: mjustice@boah.in.gov.
Indiana's status in the pseudorabies program and the decision to loosen up requirements for blood tests and health papers for in-state exhibitions also go hand-in-hand. The decision to require health papers for local shows, primarily county 4-H and open livestock shows, now rests with those putting on the show. Even more counties didn't require such papers a year ago.