The United States has been free of foot-and-mouth disease for multiple decades, and everyone wants to keep it that way. But most people on farms today, including veterinarians, have never seen FMD symptoms in any animal, much less swine. What’s more, farm personnel go about their daily tasks without giving FMD, or other foreign animal diseases a second thought.

Yet, an outbreak, whether intentional or unintentional, would have far-reaching devastating economic, animal welfare, public relations and psychological impact on the U.S. food-animal industry and its personnel.

To assist veterinarians, but also available to pork producers, the National Pork Board via the National Pork Checkoff has created a Foot Mouth Disease Pocket Guide. It includes laminated pictures of foot-and-mouth disease symptoms in swine and feral swine, as well as methods for reporting suspect foreign animal diseases. It can be used as a training guide, but it would be most useful kept on-site, within reach in swine facilities.

The guide is free to U.S. pork producers via the Pork Store (Item Number: NPB-04863). 

For non-producers and for orders to ship outside of the United States, there is a $25 fee per guide.