If African swine fever (ASF) be­­comes widespread in the U.S. swine herd, the economic impact would be devastating, said Dermot Hayes, agriculture economist with Iowa State University (ISU).

“If we get it, and cannot get rid of it, the industry will have to downsize,” he said last week during a webinar hosted by the Iowa Farm Bureau. “In the first year of an outbreak, we are likely to see a 50% reduction in the value of pork.” 

The economic disruptions would be ...