Sheep Industry News July 2023

I n May, ASI hosted a discussion-based exercise to pilot test components of the Secure Sheep and Wool Supply Plan and permitting process of sheep with no evidence of Foot and Mouth Disease infection during a simulated outbreak. The test was conducted in collaboration with the Colorado Department of Agriculture and Colorado Wool Growers Association. At the beginning of an FMD outbreak, the U.S. Depart ment of Agriculture is recommending a 72-hour national movement standstill for all cloven-hoofed livestock and their products (raw wool, wool products, semen, embryos and manure). After this time, movement controls will continue in the areas around infected animals, throughout a state, or even throughout a region. This stop movement is an effort to control the spread of this contagious animal disease. Restarting movement of sheep and their products will require a special movement permit issued by the state animal health official after a producer meets certain requirements. The SSWS Plan provides guidance for producers who have sheep with no evidence of FMD infection to meet the move ment permit requirements to maintain business continuity during an outbreak. Each state determines the movement permit requirements. Colorado has a Secure Food Supply Plan that describes the state’s expectations. The goal of the exercise was to test implementation of two sheep producers’ and one packer’s SSWS Plans specific to Colorado. The CWGA was there to support producers and be a liaison with CDA. There were more than 20 stakeholder observers from various aspects of the industry present as well as USDA/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Veterinary Services, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the North American Meat Institute. This exercise was the first of its kind on the SSWS Plan. It began with training webinars allowing CDA, Colorado sheep producers and the packer to learn from each other. When ready, producers invited CDA staff to visit their operations and walk through their enhanced biosecurity plans. The exercise used movement scenarios to allow CDA and pro ducers to role play requesting a movement permit during an FMD outbreak. A virtual component was incorporated for a producer to test the information sharing process. The exercise identified alignment with sheep industry ca pabilities and the SSWS Plan and CDA’s permit expectations. It also uncovered some gaps which can be addressed before ASI Exercises Secure Sheep & Wool Supply Plan

the chaos of an outbreak. Lessons learned will help Colorado producers and the sheep industry maintain business continu ity during an outbreak. A key takeaway from the exercise was producers who “FMD would be devastating to our flock and breed. Thinking about how to handle our flock during an outbreak was extremely important. I already had an emergency plan, but the exercise helped me evaluate it and implement better strat egies and procedures that harden our defenses a bit more for FMD.” – Oogie McGuire, Desert Weyr and Producer Player develop a SSWS Plan and share it with CDA will be in a better position to request a movement permit. This can help minimize the impact to their operation. Producers without an SSWS Plan might experience greater disruption to their business. CDA and other regulatory officials shared their ob jective is to control the spread of FMD. They also recognize the impacts to the sheep industry if business cannot be con tinually maintained. They encourage producers to develop plans today and share them with state officials. In the coming months, two webinars will be held. ASI, CDA, CWGA and the Colorado producers and packer will discuss the lessons learned, share preparedness tips and describe how permitting will be handled during an FMD outbreak. Watch for those dates and registration links. To learn more about protecting your flock during an FMD outbreak, visit the Secure Sheep and Wool Plan website at SecureSheepWool.org. “The SSWS Plan is a vital tool for the sheep industry. Producers and allied industries should be studying the SSWS Plan guidance in preparation for an introduc tion of FMD into the United States. The exercise was valuable in helping to identify information and educational needs that ASI and state veterinarians can use to help producers and other industry sectors prepare for an FMD incursion. ” – Jim Logan, DVM, ASI Animal Health Committee Co-Chair and Stakeholder Observer

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