The U.S. pork industry has made prevention and preparedness for H5N1 influenza a top priority due to the virus’ recent expansion into novel species, including dairy cattle and a backyard pig. To address this priority, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and the Pork Checkoff are funding 10 projects totaling US$2.1 million through the H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program to enhance prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for H5N1 influenza.
“Collaboration among organizations like SHIC, FFAR and the Pork Checkoff accelerates research to protect swine health and meet consumer demands for safe, affordable pork products,” said Jasmine Bruno, Ph.D., scientific program director, Cultivating Thriving Production Systems. “This program marks FFAR’s third collaboration with SHIC and our second joint effort with both partners. By working together, we’re aligning research with producer-driven priorities and consumer expectations, while ensuring producers have the science-based information they need to make informed decisions for their business.”
The awarded projects focus on transmission within and across species, vaccine development and surveillance. A full list of research projects is available on the SHIC website.
“Funding timely research is essential to drive action for emerging disease prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response for the U.S. swine industry,” said SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder. “We were very pleased with the overwhelming response to this research program, which received a record number of applicants.”
The H5N1 Risk to Swine Research Program is a US$4 million research program. Future requests for research proposals for the program will be announced on FFAR’s and SHIC’s websites.
