DIVERS

• Monitoring boar studs
• Risk management of international trade: emergency preparedness

Monitoring boar studs
TORREMORELL M
Proceedings of the AASV Congress, Orlando 8-11th March 2003 259-260
The extended use of AI (artificial insemination) makes it necessary to monitor the quality of semen in order to avoid the spread of disease in the boar stud and in the receiving herd. Guidelines regarding boar stud monitoring are given in this paper. Monitoring is always a retrospective procedure and can be performed for non specific pathogens (by observing boars off-feed, recording abnormal temperatures or assess semen quality parameters) or specific pathogens by serological analysis of semen and PCR technique. In the USA, PRRSV is the main virus for which boar studs are monitored as it can be shed in semen.

Risk management of international trade: emergency preparedness
TORRES A, DAVID MJ, BOWMAN QP
Rev.sci.tech.Off.int.Epiz. 2002 21: 493-498
In order to effectively manage a foreign animal disease incursion or an emerging disease event, the collaboration of several organisations, institutions and industries (private and public) at all levels of administrative representation (federal/state, provincial and local) must be required to form a AHEM (animal health emergency management) system within a country. The functions of this system are fourfold: preparedness (be prepared to face a disease outbreak by implementing domestic monitoring and surveillance), prevention (take actions to prevent the incursion of a foreign animal disease), response (take effective actions to control and eradicate the disease) and finally recovery (provide assistance and assurance to producers, consumers…when an emergency is under control). In the USA, a similar emergency management system has already been enforced.