Mapping the pig value chain in the Dominican Republic with emphasis on the risk of transmission of African swine fever

Abstract: As in many other parts of the world, pigs provide an important source of food and income in the Dominican Republic (DR). However, the pig production in the country faces great challenges since African swine fever (ASF) was reintroduced in 2021, after being absent for over 40 years. ASF causes a severe hemorrhagic fever with high lethality in domestic pigs Sus scrofa domesticus) and European wild boars (Sus scrofa). ASF outbreaks are often associated with human activities and movement of pigs. Today no comprehensive overview is available for the pig production, including the movement of pigs, in DR. Therefore, this study aims to map the pork value chain to increase the know-ledge and understanding about how pigs and pork products move within the country. The study consisted of individual and group interviews at five different locations, mainly in the central and eastern parts of the country. The results show that many different actors are involved in an intricate system which forms the pork value chain. Many farmers breed their own pigs and sell them to other actors such as slaughterhouses, markets, and middlemen. This often results in pigs travelling into other areas of the country and due to lack of animal identification it is hard to trace pigs and pork back to the origin. In case of an outbreak of ASF many actors seem to hesitate before contacting the authorities which may make the mapping of diseases such as ASF difficult.