The U.S. suspended pork imports from Poland last week after an outbreak of African Swine Fever in that country.
Pork Business Dot Com says the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service also has concerns over Polish export protocols.
APHIS discovered that a Polish export facility shipping pork to the U.S. didn’t follow the requirements designed to help prevent the spread of serious livestock diseases. The USDA also says a second facility in Poland is under review.
African Swine Fever is continuing to spread rapidly in parts of Europe and China. U.S. efforts to keep the highly-contagious disease out of the country are increasing. The USDA is also working with Customs and Border Protection staff to enhance screening of passenger bags coming from Poland. The checks aim to ensure that restricted products are not brought into the country.
African Swine Fever has not yet been detected anywhere in North America. The disease is highly-contagious among domestic and feral pigs, but it poses no danger to human health.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.