CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -The Annual World Pork Expo, which was scheduled to be held at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on June 5 through June 7, has been canceled over fears of spreading African swine fever (ASF).
African swine fever is a viral disease that can be deadly to wild pigs. It spreads through contact of infected animals and it only affects pigs.
"The health of the U.S. swine herd is paramount; 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," said NPPC president David Herring said in a press release.
"Our farmers are highly export-dependent," Herring said. "An ASF outbreak would immediately close our export markets at a time when we are already facing serious trade headwinds. The retaliatory tariffs we currently face in some of our largest export markets due to trade disputes are among the factors that prompted a conservative decision regarding World Pork Expo. U.S. pork producers are already operating in very challenging financial conditions."
"The widespread presence of African swine fever in China's swine herd, the world's largest by far, takes the threat of this swine disease to an entirely new level. We ask all producers, travelers and the general public to recognize the heightened risk since the first outbreak was reported in China last year and to heed bio-security protocols in support of U.S. agriculture," he said in the statement.
Andy Petersen of The Big Show on WHO and WMT Radio says The World Pork Expo is the world's largest pork-industry specific trade show.
KCRG TV 9 reports the event draws nearly 20,000 people each year, including individuals and exhibitors from ASF-positive regions.