Economic Aspects of Specific Pathogen Free Hog Production

Excerpts from the report: The Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) hog production program is a recent and important advancement in the control of virus pig pneumonia and atrophic rhinitis, two growth-retarding diseases. The SPF hog production program is predicated on achieving a break in the disease cycle and preventing reinfection due to direct contact between SPF hogs and hogs infected with virus pig pneumonia and atrophic rhinitis. These diseases, which are transmitted from diseased to healthy animals by direct contact, will die out if no hogs are present to serve as a host. In essence the Specific Pathogen Free hog production program follows this pattern: (1) obtain aseptic pigs, (2) raise them in isolation, (3) grow them to maturity under farm isolation, (4) resume normal birth and production. The scope of this report encompasses the last three steps of the Specific Pathogen Free hog production program. The first two steps--obtaining aseptic pigs and raising them in isolation--are the responsibility of licensed laboratories. The emphasis in this report is on growing pigs under farm isolation after the resumption of normal birth and production. The research objectives are: (1) to determine the least-cost method of repopulating individual farms, (2) to estimate the possible increase in returns from SPF hog production over the returns from conventional hog production.