In August 2000 Great Britain’s hog farming industry was rocked by an unexplained outbreak of Classical Swine Fever (otherwise known as hog cholera).  By the time it was contained, over 12,000 hogs had been destroyed and several counties placed under quarantine.  The cause, according to many experts, was a single sandwich, the scraps of which wound up in a slop trough.   Since 1976 there have been no recorded cases of Classical Swine Fever – or African Swine Fever, a disease caused by a different virus but which has similar symptoms – in the United States.  Nevertheless, Classical Swine Fever and African Swine Fever remain major threats to the porcine industry in Europe and Africa, and could cause major damage to American hog farmers if it were introduced into the United States.

Once a pig is infected with the viruses causing African or Classical Swine Fever, the disease can take several courses.  In the most severe cases, a farmer will suddenly discover growing numbers of his herd dead or near-dead.  More frequently, the pigs will quit eating and become lethargic.  Soon after this a high fever develops, combined with blotchy red and blue discolorations on the skin.  Almost 100% of the pigs showing these symptoms will be dead within seven days.  Other pigs will become infected with subacute or chronic forms of the disease; while they appear to recover, they remain subject to periodic bouts of fever and emaciation, and are also capable of infecting other pigs.  Mass abortions, stillbirths and deformities will frequently be seen in herds which have been exposed to these diseases; these piglets, and their healthy-seeming brethren, are also carriers and can infect healthy herds.

Both classical and African Swine Fever are extremely contagious; a pig may be shedding viruses and infecting the herd for as much as two weeks before symptoms develop.  The virus can also be spread by workers travelling from one farm to another, and (in the case of African Swine Fever) by ticks or airborne insects.  These viruses are very stable in protein-rich environments; they can survive for months in refrigerated meat and years in frozen meat.  All these traits make them ideal for weaponizing purposes.  During the Cold War U.S. Army scientists produced a bomb made of turkey feathers sprayed with Swine Fever virus; when released over a pig pen, it caused mass infestation of the livestock.  On several occasions Fidel Castro has accused America of deliberately infecting Cuban pigs with swine fever.  (There have been several outbreaks in Cuba, and swine fever remains a problem in the Caribbean, particularly in Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

An outbreak of swine fever in the United States could wreak havoc among our pork farmers.  Until (or if) this outbreak was brought under control, no pork-producing country in the world would allow the importation of American swine products.  Already reeling from low commodity prices and declining consumption of pork on American tables, a deliberately induced outbreak of swine fever could cost the industry billions and send many farmers into bankruptcy.