COLUMBIA, MO. — The National Pork Board and the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have sponsored the Secure Pork Supply Plans, a voluntary program to prepare for a transboundary or foreign animal disease outbreak in the United States.

It includes evaluation of biosecurity on farms before a disease event to help ensure that pigs will stay safe and healthy.

The program utilizes the Rapid Access Biosecurity (RAB) app, which will assist in getting information from pork farmers to regulatory officials quickly so they can approve plans or provide permits when requested.

“The RAB app securely and electronically stores farm information for quick access,” said Corinne Bromfield, University of Missouri swine extension veterinarian. “Speed is key in a foreign animal disease response.”

Since most larger companies’ information is already in the program, the focus is on getting independent Missouri farms to join, Bromfield said.

“We don’t want independent producers to miss out on the same opportunities as the big companies have here,” she said.

Farms in the control and surveillance zone that have a Secure Pork Supply Plan in place are better equipped to prevent the spread of the disease and to apply for permitted movement.

“Knowing which farms are unlikely to be affected is just as important as knowing the potentially affected ones,” Bromfield said. “Because if we don’t have any understanding of the farm, it will get categorized as risky until proven otherwise.”