Already reeling from severe los­­ses this year due to COVID-19 related packing plant shutdowns, Iowa’s hog farmers are front of mind for officials at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) as they work to prevent an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in the U.S.

“Pork producers are al­­ready suffering considerable los­­ses due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot afford another catastrophic blow should ASF or other foreign animal diseases (FAD) enter our country,” noted AV Roth, National Pork Producers Council president.

Recently, ASF has been identified in Germany’s wild boar population as the disease marches from east to west across Europe.

Iowa’s...