The US based Swine Health Information Centre is now open and is ramping up to begin creating an international swine health intelligence network to track swine diseases around the world, establish research programs to better prepare should those diseases enter the US and facilitate communications among producers on the health status of swine to help them protect their herds.

Swine Health Information Centre executive director Dr Paul Sundberg said that the office is just now being set up.

Dr Paul Sundberg-Swine Health Information Centre:

The contract with the National Pork Board for the funding just was approved and came through the first of July.

Within this first week we're still in that process of getting the office itself set up.

I am in the process of setting up appointments around the country to talk about the center and what we're trying to get done and get feedback from producers.

One of the important things is to go around to the schools of veterinary medicine and understand the associations that they have with schools and universities and businesses around the world to be able to put together that kind of information to help set up that network.

So I'm busy making appointments, making plans for visiting producers across the country, visiting the veterinary schools and others that can help with the effort of the Swine Health Information Centre.

Dr Sundberg says the Swine Health Information Centre will work on behalf of pork producers with the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, as well as state animal health officials and USDA federal animal health officials, as a facilitator for research and the sharing of information that will help US pork producers better prepare for new diseases that come into the country.