US feral hogs ASF concern

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US feral hogs ASF concern

The CEO of the National Pork Board says feral hogs in the U.S. are a threat to commercial hog operations. 

Bill Even, on the AgriPulse Ag Outlook Forum, says it’s on the radar of everyone in the pork industry as African Swine Fever spreads among hogs overseas., “I know the USDA APHIS has really got their eye on this issue as the feral hogs in certainly the southern United States, those herds continue to grow. And they present a real problem to pork producers from a biosecurity standpoint.”

Even points out the huge ASF outbreak in China began in wild pigs.

“Much like happened in Germany it was found in a wild pig and not in commercial production. We face those same risks here in the United States with the wild hog herd.”

Nearly 50 wild boars in Germany have been confirmed with ASF since early September.

While mostly in southern states, feral hogs are confirmed in southern Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio (as well as throughout Kentucky and Tennessee) as of 2019.  The National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) says between 5 and 6 million feral swine exist in at least 35 states.

Photo: USDA APHIS

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