University of Vermont Community Development and Applied Economics Professor Asim Zia, in collaboration with researchers from the departments of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and Computer Science, has received a $2.5 million grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture for livestock disease risk management research. The transdisciplinary project is entitled, "Predicting Livestock Disease Transmission Dynamic Under Alternate Biosecurity Risk Management Interventions and Behavioral Responses of Livestock Producers in the U.S."

African swine fever outbreaks began in regions of China during 2018, and have spread to other areas of Asia, Europe and Central America. These outbreaks demonstrated how biological threats can be devastating, with significant long-term effects for livestock producers and the global supply chain. The United States swine industry need to be prepared for foreign animal disease introductions like ASF with prevention, detection and response.

Current approaches used by animal health authorities to manage the risk and the behavioral responses of livestock producers are not well understood in an integrative way. As such, the overarching goal of the project will predict the risk of FAD transmission among livestock herds in the United States. The objectives of the project are the following:

The broader impact of Zia's research is aimed at coming up with a predictive model and policy instrument that will ensure access to a safe, nutritious, sustainable food supply, while reducing the cost of infectious disease management in the livestock industry and to the country.

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