The success of the ARC concept

Erin Johnson, DVM

BIVI – Technical Manager

What is ARC?

Area Regional Control is:

Producers and veterinarians, working together with their neighbors and business partners so that together they achieve greater sustained improvement in health and productivity in their neighborhood than any one can achieve on their own.

“Do unto your neighbor as you would have your neighbor do

unto you.”

“Transmit unto your neighbor as you would have your neighbor transmit unto

you.”

ARC Origins

oThe global swine industry faces many economically devastating diseases, e.g. PRRS costing the US swine industry $1,500,000 USD per day (Yeske 2009).

oConsequently, veterinarians have developed different means for individual or groups of farms to control and possibly eliminate PRRS. However the risk of re-infection remains high even with the best current biosecurity practices (Davies et al. 2007).

oThis has led to the consensus that more coordinated, or ‘regional’, approaches must be taken to combat PRRS.

· Phase 1: Feasibility study: to determine if the region’s pork industry meets the minimal requirements to work in a coordinated disease control project.

· Phase 2: Pig-Related site identification: identify the general characteristics of the pork industry in the region.

· Phase 3: Region characterization: determine site disease status, animal flow, and risk of becoming infected.

· Phase 4: Design control strategies: design control strategies by site and neighborhood.

· Phase 5: Execution and monitoring: execute and monitor the disease control strategies by site and neighborhood.

ARC Proposed Methodology

Goals of the producers in the region

Current Status and Constraints in the region

Develop solution options for the region

Implement and Monitor Regional progress

oDirect ValueoImprovements in health, productivity and ROI

oIndirect ValueoReduction of infection riskoReduction of genetic diversity

oGeneration of critical knowledgeoImprovement in on-farm morale

oImprovement of the image of the swine industry

0.1

MissouriSeq-4.seqMissouriSeq-5.seqMissouriSeq-6.seq

143 NCIL Oct2010-1.seq144 NCIL Nov.2010.seq144 NCIL Dec10-1.seq

MissouriSeq-1.seqMissouriSeq-2.seq

MissouriSeq-3.seqMissouriSeq-7.seq

114388-35PA-1.seq

114388-36PA-1.seq

IA Aug C-1.seqIA Aug A-1.seqIA Aug B-1.seq

MissouriSeq-9.seq

MissouriSeq-8.seq

ARC Benefits

(Garbes, N. et al. 2011)

An Illustration…

An Illustration…

An Illustration…

OR

An Illustration…

Context Matters… Context is also a benefit of ARC

There is: no recipe, no specific template or manual, no perfected way to do ARC.

Every project is different and hasapproached coordinated disease controlin their own way.

Key ARC Project Success Factors

· Great coordination- Project coordinator, leaders, technical advisors

· High producer participation- Typically >75% of area producers

· High degree of transparency and trust- PRRSv status, Management practices, pig flows, etc.

· At least partially, if not completely producer funded- Producers have “skin in the game”

Measures of ARC Project Success

· Reduction in the number of sites (usually breeding herds) going positive in a project from year to year.

· Improved PSY – in projects able to capture that information for area sow herds.

· % participation or cooperation and continued participation in an area.

· Lists of “without the project _____ would never have happened”.- Often trading barns for a turn- Encouraging new barns to go with local or closer sow owners- Participation in the project by allied industry partners

(As summarized from NA-PRRS 2013 “4 corners session” ARC Project handouts)

Producers know that it is not just the pig sites…

· Collaborative efforts in many areas have included allied industry- Like:

- Transportation companies, manure haulers, area genetic suppliers, etc.

- They may:- Attend educational and or working group meetings- Receive alerts and updates about the area- Participate in discussions about preventing spread- Further define their biosecurity practices

Evidence of success of the ARC concept…

Evidence of success of the ARC concept…

· The framework of ARC projects:- Coordinator- Communication plans- Educational meetings/information sharing- Site status notifications/classifications- Shared trust

Has been applied to PEDv in many ARC projects.

Evidence of success of the ARC concept…

· Even without all of the framework of ARC…- Producer networks are forming to simply share information

- Networks:- Producer to producer- Production system to Production system- Larger state-wide - producer group led

- Information:- Site statuses- Sequence information (PRRS, PED, IAV…)- Potential routes of spread- Potential mitigation strategies

Why?

The evolution of ARC…

· What do these networks hope to accomplish?- There are no goals or objectives to control or eliminate a disease.- There are no mandatory practices that participants are asked to

follow.

· What are they seeking?

Context

Summary

· Area Regional Control: - Began in a few discrete areas, in an effort to eliminate PRRSv - Objectives have evolved to control, rather than eliminate PRRSv in

many of those areas, and expanded to others- Simple structures have been put in place to allow for Communication,

Collaboration and Coordination among producers with the support and guidance of their veterinarians.

- The success of the ARC concept is evidenced by:- The continued expansion of projects- The inclusion/participation of allied industry in areas- The further leveraging of the framework to PEDv, and beyond…- The continued development of information sharing networks in the industry

The success of the ARC concept

Erin Johnson, DVM

BIVI – Technical Manager