Fourteen issue- and membership-based committees met virtually during the 2020-2021 winter months. These well-attended virtual meetings replaced the in-person meetings typically held during the AASV Annual Meeting. The AASV Board of Directors establishes committees to address specific issues associated with swine veterinary medicine and provide recommendations for actions to the AASV leadership. The AASV committees are an integral part of the leadership structure within AASV, and they also serve as a great way for members to participate in developing positions for the association, learn about critical issues, network with other members, and develop their own leadership skills. Despite the challenges COVID-19 brought to 2020, committees accomplished many of their goals and responded to emergent and urgent needs in swine health and welfare.
The following are some highlights from the committee meetings:
- The AASV Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) Task Force has completed the PRRS herd classification guidelines, which are pending publication. The task force proposed to develop a PRRS case definition for breeding herds and to distribute a survey regarding PRRS virus control and elimination in breeding herds.
- The Boar Stud Biosecurity Committee recommended changing the committee’s name and mission statement to broaden the scope beyond bio-security. During 2021, the committee plans to update the AASV Boar Stud Guidelines.
- During the Committee on Transboundary and Emerging Diseases meetings, the committee reviewed AASV’s position statement on the permanent identification of swine and a proposed position statement on the risk of foreign animal disease introduction through feed and feed ingredients. The committee plans to work with USDA Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health to provide input on how oral fluids are used for endemic disease surveillance and describe how they could be used for foreign animal disease surveillance.
- The Collegiate Activities Committee discussed veterinary student instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AASV Annual Meeting student presentations, and the 2020 AASV Annual Meeting General Session presentation, “Current and future vision of swine medicine education.”
- The Communications Committee’s discussions centered around member services, including the AASV website update and adding more member recollections to the AASV Heritage Video series. The committee continues to explore ways to fill gaps in the AASV photo library.
- The Early Career Committee continued to identify resources needed by early career veterinarians. The committee has been developing a podcast series highlighting topics for early career veterinarians and a forum for early career veterinarians to exchange dialogue. The committee proposed a mentor directory and an early career conference to be held in conjunction with another swine conference, modeled after the American Association of Bovine Practitioners’ early career conference.
- The Human Health and Safety Committee is proposing a modification to the committee’s name and mission statement to emphasize the committee’s commitment to human well-being.
- The Influenza Committee recommended an influenza preconference session at the 2022 AASV Annual Meeting. They proposed changes to the AASV position statement on influenza A viruses.
- Discussions of the Nutrition Committee centered around potential topics for a preconference session, and recommended inclusion at the 2022 annual meeting. They also discussed the potential for continued education nutrition topics throughout the year.
- The Operation Main Street (OMS) Committee is planning to host AASV member OMS speaker training sessions virtually during 2021. The OMS program will expand its reach to additional veterinary schools, including St George University, Ross University, and the five AVMA-accredited veterinary schools in Canada.
- During 2020, the Pharmaceutical Issues Committee updated the Basic Guidelines of Judicious Use of Antimicrobials in Swine. During 2021, they plan to discuss and develop guidelines for the implementation of the five pillars of antimicrobial stewardship.
- The Pig Welfare Committee reviewed AASV’s position statements on castration of swine, tail docking and teeth clipping of swine, pig welfare, anti-abuse, and sow housing. The committee heard updates about the USDA National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program-funded and AASV-led project to capture the first-hand experiences gained by veterinarians and farmers faced with depopulation and improve AASV resources or build new tools to meet the needs of the AASV membership.
- The Pork Safety Committee continues to monitor and participate in pork safety issues, including the development of the National Veterinary Accreditation Program’s module on the veterinarian’s role in preharvest microbial food safety, the New Swine Inspection System, and other policies regarding pork safety.
- The Student Recruitment Committee recommended AASV continue supporting The Swine Medicine Talks: An AASV series for Veterinary Students. The committee plans to participate in the 2021 Student American Veterinary Medical Association’s Symposium, the National FFA Convention, and the Ohio State University Food Animal Symposium.
Full reports and work plans from each committee are available at aasv.org/members/only/committee.
The AASV committee leaders met virtually March 11 to update each other about committee activities and goals, strategize and identify collaboration opportunities across committees, and discuss committee structure. The leaders elected to hold biannual meetings; all committees will meet during the annual meeting and virtually during the late summer or early fall.
Abbey Canon, DVM, MPH, DACVPM
Director of Public Health and Communications