In an effort to be proactive and help protect the health status of the U.S. swine herd and protect U.S. pork producers, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is announcing the cancellation of the 2019 World Pork Expo, which was to be held June 5-7 in Des Moines, IA, reports National Hog Farmer.
Held each June at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, the event draws about 20,000 visitors over three days, including exhibitors and individuals from countries impacted by ASF. The disease only affects pigs and represents no human health or food safety risks; currently there is no vaccine against the disease.
David Herring, NPPC president and North Carolina producer, said in a release to the media that an evaluation by veterinarians and other third-party experts concluded there was minimal risk of holding the event, but officials decided to “exercise extreme caution."
"The health of the U.S. swine herd is paramount," he says. "The livelihoods of our producers depend on it. Prevention is our only defense against ASF and NPPC will continue to do all it can to prevent its spread to the United States."
