New information platform could prepare producers for disease outbreaks

MetaFarms launches SecureReady™ to prepare producers for a disease outbreak
calendar icon 16 May 2019
clock icon 3 minute read

MetaFarms, Inc., the information platform for agriculture, today announced a first-of-its-kind programme for swine producers to prepare for a potential Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) outbreak. SecureReady™ leverages all aspects of the MetaFarms Ag Platform (MAP) to facilitate the population, updating, and access of records including: Premises Identification Number (PIN), real-time inventory, movements and biosecurity assessments.

“With the cancelling of the World Pork Expo and African swine fever (ASF) continuing to spread, we’re reminded the threat of an outbreak looms ever imminent over our industry,” said Brian Parker, chief operating officer for MetaFarms. “We understand the ability for the industry to respond quickly and effectively is crucial.”

If ASF, Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or Classical swine fever (CSF) is found in United States; regulatory officials will limit the movement of animals to control the spread of these very contagious animal diseases. According to industry estimates, ASF alone poses a potential $8 billion loss.

MetaFarms is working closely with the National Pork Board on their Secure Pork Supply (SPS) plan as well as with state veterinarians and USDA to identify fields of required information. In the event of an FAD outbreak, SecureReady is designed to assist the industry reinstate the movement of livestock.

“One of the benefits of using the MetaFarms platform is access to data. We track about 30 percent of the industry’s finish pigs and more than one million sows through the MetaFarms Ag Platform,” said Parker. “It only makes sense that we would work with our producers to get prepared to protect their business and the industry we’re all heavily invested in.”

MetaFarms is refining a template to create a basic standardised version of SecureReady for producers not currently using the platform and a biosecurity audit through its assurance module to help facilitate operational preparedness.

Drs. Tim Loula and Paul Yeske of the Swine Vet Center in St Peter, Minnesota recommend maintaining accurate production records across your system with premise identifications, animal inventory, movements and biosecurity audits, through a platform like MetaFarms, which will be paramount in the event an outbreak occurs.

Parker added, “We want to work with producers to ensure everything they need is being captured and organised and they’ve got their records in order. This way they are well positioned to work with their state vet and maintain business continuity.”

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