South Dakota pork officials are urging Congress to fund the Foot and Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank in the new farm bill. South Dakota Pork Producers Council First Vice President and Centerville producer Craig Andersen was in Washington DC this week talking to Congress about the urgent need as there’s not enough FMD vaccine available now to deal with an outbreak.
He says Congressional members were open to the idea of an FMD Vaccine Bank but the major problem is finding the right funding source for it.
Andersen says it’s critical to be proactive and get the FMD vaccine bank in place before an outbreak occurs.
Andersen says while in D.C., pork producers also talked about the trade war, the Farm Bill and the need for year-round ag workers.
