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Biosecurity Testing of Horizontal Grinders
Citation:
Lemieux, P., S. Serre, Joe Wood, W. Calfee, J. Thurman, P. Burnette, L. Miller, R. Miknis, S. Malladi, G. Flory, AND M. Mayes. Biosecurity Testing of Horizontal Grinders. Presented at The Seventh International Symposium on Animal Mortality Management, Virtual Meeting, NC, May 18 - 19, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
Present a status update on the collaborative effort with USDA and other entitities at the The Seventh International Symposium on Animal Mortality Management, May 18-19, 2021, (Virtual Meeting)
Description:
Management of mass mortalities of large animals due to animal disease outbreaks such as the current African Swine Fever virus outbreak is particularly challenging. Composting is a disposal option that could be used to inactivate the virus and provide soil amendment material. However, the large animal size comprising the affected swine population results in operational challenges due to the time for the composting process to complete. The use of horizontal grinders to grind the animal material prior to composting was evaluated from an operational standpoint, and the grinders appear to have sufficient capacity to achieve the targeted > 1M lb/day of throughput. US EPA, in collaboration with USDA/APHIS, VA DEQ, and NCDA&CS conducted a study to assess the potential for viral particles to be generated from the grinding and transported via atmospheric processes downwind in such a way as to constitute a risk for spread of the virus to neighboring farms and nearby wildlife.