A new producer-led advisory group met this month to focus on strengthening health across the U.S. swine herd and to steer the industry's National Swine Health Strategy. The group will provide oversight for the initiative and prioritize actions producers identified as most urgent. 27-member committee members represent a cross-section of the industry and public partners.
The committee draws on extensive producer input gathered through nationwide listening sessions and surveys that highlighted persistent health costs and prevention gaps. That outreach produced hundreds of responses that helped the industry set priorities and guide where resources should be focused. Producer-led strategy priorities reflect both everyday disease challenges and risks from foreign or emerging pathogens.
Producers identified two central aims: reduce the impact of endemic diseases and strengthen defenses that keep foreign and emerging diseases out of U.S. herds. Top endemic targets named by committee members include porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), alongside broader efforts to limit pathogen spread across production systems.
Endemic and foreign threats
Early actions under the strategy include an economic analysis on eliminating PRRSV and PEDV and working with states interested in piloting regional PEDV-elimination programs. Committee leaders framed eradication and control efforts as the "offense" of the plan, while prevention and preparedness constitute the "defense."
Defense planning in the strategy specifically calls out response planning for threats such as New World screwworm and H5N1, while maintaining surveillance and readiness to monitor for African Swine Fever, Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Classical Swine Fever if they threaten U.S. herds. The strategy also highlights continued support for existing preparedness programs that link producers to rapid response tools.
Implementation focus
Among the first funding priorities is continued support for the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan, which is mentioned in the House-passed farm bill, and for programs that facilitate rapid, on-farm testing and continuity of business. The strategy names support for the Secure Pork Supply program, the Certified Swine Sample Collector program and the National Pork Board's AgView platform as near-term steps to bolster readiness. U.S. Swine Health Plan
Committee members say the initiative is meant to translate research into practical on-farm steps and to keep producers accountable to long-term disease reduction goals. "There's an opportunity for us to pull out what information we know is backed through research and share that with producers at the slat level," said Meredith Petersen, director of swine health at the National Pork Board. Iowa pork producer Jeremy Robertson, a committee member, said the effort requires sustained commitment: "We need to know that this is a marathon, not a sprint."
The Swine Health Advisory Committee includes producers, veterinarians, state pork association staff, allied industry representatives and public-sector partners and will guide the implementation and prioritization of the National Swine Health Strategy.
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