FAO’s new guidelines to combat African swine fever in resource-limited settings

African swine fever (ASF) has posed a grave threat to the global pork industry since its emergence in 2007, spreading to Europe, Asia, the Pacific, and since 2021, the Caribbean. However, the methods used in high-income countries are often impractical in areas where resources are limited. Biosecurity is usually weak at farm level and other points of the value chain, pigs are not traceable and move readily within and even across borders, and compensation for culled animals is typically not available. Producers in resource-limited settings are often poor and move in and out of pig production as a means of avoiding poverty. As a result of these factors, their pigs are at high risk from ASF.  

Yet, ASF has some features that make it more easily prevented than other more transmissible transboundary diseases. Some simple measures and different approaches to disease prevention, including those based on community-level activities, can limit the impact of this disease. But to effectively manage and mitigate the impact of ASF, communities and stakeholders need to be empowered. 

In another step forward in the fight against ASF, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has released the African swine fever prevention, detection and African swine fever prevention, detection and control in resource-limited settings guidelines in resource-limited settings guidelines. This comprehensive booklet provides recommendations on prevention, detection and control for regions struggling with the disease, drawing from the knowledge and expertise of FAO's Global Pool of Expertise on African Swine Fever (GPE ASF).  

The guide is divided into five sections. The first covers key aspects of the disease that can be exploited when developing prevention and control programmes, even when resources are limited. The next three sections provide suggestions on simple, low-cost measures in ASF prevention, early warning and detection, and control, all of which have demonstrated effectiveness in these challenging settings. The concluding section explores ways for communities to collaborate in ASF management, highlighting the role of public-private partnerships in this collective effort. 

Animal health is not just the responsibility of government veterinary services or individual producers. It also involves local communities, feed suppliers, pig traders and processors, and animal health workers at community level. By working together, and with the help of the knowledge contained in this guide, the impact of ASF can be minimized, even in regions where resources to prevent and control the disease are scarce. 

 About FAO's Global Pool of Expertise on African Swine Fever (GPE ASF) 

Established in 2021, the GPE ASF was created to tackle the multifaceted challenges related to ASF prevention, detection, and control. It comprised six subgroups, each focusing on different aspects of ASF, including epidemiology, prevention, detection, control, community engagement, and socioeconomics. Throughout 2021 and 2022, these subgroups held more than 20 virtual meetings, aiming to formulate practical guidelines for ASF management. During these sessions, it became evident that a significant gap existed in guidance tailored for resource-limited settings. The African swine fever prevention, detection and control in resource-limited settings guidelines represents a distillation of key insights derived from those meetings, specifically relevant to these challenging environments.