Prior to embarking on an eradication program for M. hyopneumoniae, it is essential to gain buy-in from the farm’s stakeholders, as they will be critical to executing the plan and seeing it to fruition. Disease eradication programs are most often disruptive to the normal production practices of the farm, but can be adapted into an achievable plan that fits the needs of the system.

An important part of being prepared is acknowledging that there will likely be unforeseen challenges during the project. For instance, in the case of herd closure, there are two key time points that have the most effect on the timeline:

1. The first key time point is after exposure testing to determine Day 0.
2. The second key time occurs 20-30 days before the expected end of the herd closure.

Anticipation of unexpected results at any time point deserves a discussion with the team and the making of contingency plans, which should be agreed upon and included in the timeline for efficient decision- making. All efforts need to be made to avoid unnecessary stressors for the pig and program. Unexpected outcomes should be learned from to improve the probability of success for future disease eradication programs.