The Florida Pseudorabies Eradication Program officially began in 1989. However, the existing state rules pertaining to pseudorabies eradication did not match the national program standards at the time in that there was no authority to participate in the cooperative state/federal/industry eradication program. Even though testing did occur, it was dependent primarily on successful tracebacks of reactors found on slaughter. Most of the cull sows and boars went to out of state slaughter establishments. Very few animals were identified to the farm of origin, so only a small percentage of Florida hogs killed out of state were bled, much less traceable. Florida is not considered a major swine producing state. USDA Statistical Service listed approximately 21,000 breeding animals and 4,000 herds for the state that year. Application for Stage I Status was submitted and approved in November, 1989.

Florida reapplied for Stage I Status in November, 1991, and again in December, 1993. Stage I Status was continued during that time because legislative authority was not yet in place to authorize required program standards for advancement. Florida had been concentrating almost entirely on the cattle brucellosis eradication program and the swine disease eradication programs, both swine brucellosis and pseudorabies, had received little emphasis. After attaining Brucellosis Class A Status in April, 1992, and because of progress being made in our adjoining states of Alabama and Georgia, more emphasis was placed on the swine eradication programs. A concerted effort was started to locate and test all domestic swine herds in Florida primarily aimed at establishing Monitored Feeder Pig Herd Status.

Rules of the State of Florida, Chapter 5C-21, Pseudorabies, became effective October 23, 1994, thus giving the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services authority to implement all requirements of Stage II Status as set forth in the State/Federal/Industry Program Standards effective January 1, 1994. Application for Stage II Status had already been submitted pending formal passage of the pseudorabies rule. Stage II Status was assigned to Florida November 1, 1994.

The latest Agricultural Statistical Service census lists 16,000 breeding swine and fewer than 3,000 herds in Florida. With the depressed pork industry as it is now, many Monitored Feeder Pig Herds have failed to remonitor, mainly because they have gone out of business. Currently there are 294 Monitored Feeder Pig Herds in Florida. The highest number at any one time was 302.

Since April, 1994, there have been 223 reactors found by on the farm testing in 31 herds. There are currently 16 herds under quarantine. Only one quarantined herd owner is using G1 gene-deleted vaccine as a tool for eliminating pseudorabies from this herd. Our regional swine disease epidemiologist, Dr. Tommy Dees, is working very closely with the state in formulating herd plans for the existing quarantined herds, as well as giving needed guidance to the young State eradication program. Several pseudorabies quarantined herds had dual infection with swine brucellosis and have participated in the brucellosis depop program. Hopefully, depop money will be available for some time yet for swine brucellosis affected herds since there is no depop money available for pseudorabies affected herds.

Feral swine continue to be a problem in Florida with an estimated population of 300,000 to 500,000 animals scattered all over the state, more heavily concentrated in South Central Florida and along the Gulf Coastal low lying areas. From 1992 through 1994, five different sites have been surveyed to determine the prevalence of both swine brucellosis and pseudorabies in these different population groups. Sampling techniques varied among the sites. At two sites blood collection was done by hunters when the animals were killed or the blood was collected by biologists at hunter check points, while at three sites live trapped hogs were bled by state/federal regulatory personnel. Of 753 animals tested, 358 were positive for pseudorabies for a 48 percent infection rate; 144 animals were positive for brucellosis for a 19 percent overall infection rate. Pseudorabies infection rates varied among the different population sites from 26 percent to 59 percent. Swine brucellosis infection rates varied from 0 percent at one collection site to 30 percent.

On January 1, 1995, first point testing was started in five North Florida livestock markets. The Latex Agglutination Test for pseudorabies and the Card Test for swine brucellosis are run at the market before those sows and boars that may return to the farm are sold. All bleeding and testing at the markets is done by state personnel. So far, 266 animals have been tested with a total of five pseudorabies positive animals found five different herds. No swine brucellosis positive animals have been disclosed at first point testing.

Data is being analyzed now by our new Area Epidemiology Officer to assure that Florida has met the requirements for Stage III Status. We are anticipating submitting application for Stage III Status this summer. Application for Stage I and Stage II Status in Swine Brucellosis was submitted two weeks ago to staff in Riverdale for approval.

Area testing, along with first point testing and slaughter testing, will be fully utilized in the present plan to reach the final stage of PSEUDORABIES FREE. However, until some good means of controlling intermingling of feral swine with domestic swine, or development of a workable vaccination method to immunize the feral population, total eradication of both pseudorabies and swine brucellosis will be very difficult.