On 15 August, a meeting was held between representatives of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and industry associations, including the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB). During the meeting, Oksana Yurchenko, President of the AUPB, informed the foreign delegates about the state of pig production in Ukraine and the challenges faced by the pork market, primarily due to the war, the risk of African swine fever (ASF), imperfect legislative regulation and the need to comply with European integration requirements.
Next, Ms Yurchenko focused on the presentation of the objectives of the project ‘Animal Health in Ukraine’, which aims to improve control of the spread of animal diseases on pig farms, assess epizootic risks, conduct biosecurity audits of pig farms, develop and implement measures to strengthen it and maintain a high status of pig health, develop an industry biosecurity standard, practical recommendations and training courses for veterinary medicine specialists of pig farms, etc.
‘In the course of risk assessment for the industry, the AUPB conducted a survey of 500 major pork market participants and found out: the impact of the war on the entire pork production chain in Ukraine; biosecurity measures implemented at all stages of pig production; general understanding of epizootic risks, including knowledge of the main ways of spreading and clinical signs of ASF, as well as the response protocol in the event of an outbreak of this disease. Particular attention was paid to determining stakeholders' awareness of antibiotic resistance and the rational use of antimicrobials in livestock. In general, the results of the survey showed the relevance and need for the measures that the AUPB, together with its partners, is implementing within the framework of this project,' said the President of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders.
In addition, she noted that a significant part of the implemented measures is aimed at strengthening the biosecurity of farms. Thus, from 2022 to 15 August 2024, eighteen of the twenty planned biosafety audits of pig farms were carried out and six videos were filmed on best practices for washing and disinfecting vehicles, passing through the sanitary checkpoint, animal and feed handling ramps, etc. The AUPB is convinced that this will help to clearly understand how to organise biosecurity procedures and improve them if necessary.
Regarding further activities, they noted that the focus is on improving the control of the spread of pig diseases through the use of laboratory diagnostics of major pathogens and feed quality control, support and training of veterinary service specialists in the field and the development of an industry standard for biosecurity of pig farms.
The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders is a non-profit, voluntary organisation founded by domestic pork producers. The main goals of the association are to represent and protect the rights and interests of the association's farms, promote the development and implementation of new technologies for efficient pork production, expand sales markets, and protect the domestic market.
