USDA renews funding for PRRS research

USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) is providing the money to decrease economic losses from Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) , which costs the swine industry $580 million annually and affects more than 60% of US swine herds.

“A new strain of highly pathogenic PRRS has been found in China and Vietnam and is implicated as the primary cause of Porcine High Fever Disease, resulting in the death of large numbers of swine,” said Gale Buchanan, USDA under-secretary for Research, Education, and Economics.

Renewal
“Renewal of the PRRS project responds to the urgent need to make sure the right tools are available to keep this foreign strain from affecting the US swine population.”

Originally funded in 2004 by CSREES, the project has been lead by the University of Minnesota. The next phase has Kansas State University running point on the research in which nearly 20 universities and organizations from across the country and around the world will be participating in, among which is also Ohio State University.

This phase will focus on prevention and control tools; knowledge needed to support scientists; application of existing and new technologies in regional disease eradication efforts; and development of educational and outreach programs for scientists, producers and veterinarians.

Related websites:
• Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
• Kansas State University
• Ohio State University
• United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• University of Minnesota

Subscribe here to the Pig Progress newsletter