A report by the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) said the use of AI has been linked to the spread of several pig disease outbreaks.

SHIC is using USDA-FAS grant funds to sponsor research in Vietnam on the risk of introducing African swine fever (ASF) via this route. Specifically, the study will examine potential introduction of ASF to a sow farm as a result of semen movement from apparently healthy boar studs located in an ASF disease control area.

Conducted by a team from the University of Minnesota with academic partners from the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, the study will include a pro-active risk assessment that systematically evaluates the potential risk of semen movements during an outbreak.

The resulting information will help the US swine industry continue to prepare for foreign animal disease issues, as well as implement science-based prevention protocols.

This research will examine pathways of ASF introduction into boar studs and semen movement into sow farms. Researchers will also look at the simulated spread of ASF in a sow farm with multiple sows simultaneously exposed to ASF via the AI process. The results will help experts determine what surveillance is needed, and how long semen should be held to increase the likelihood of ASF detection.