Preparation of African swine fever contingency plans FAO Animal Production and Health manual Series, Vol. 8

African swine fever (ASF) is a viral haemorrhagic disease of swine generally characterized by high morbidity and high mortality. The disease is known to have devastated swine farming in highly industrialized, small commercial and backyard swine holdings, with concomitant closure of animal and meat export markets, ravaged swine populations, and destroyed individual and family livelihoods. This manual provides information on the nature of AFS and the principles and strategic options regarding prevention, detection, control and elimination of the disease. Based on a previous FAO manual published in 2001, it was updated to capture new knowledge and adapted to cover European settings.