Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hosted a four-day African swine fever (ASF) exercise with state animal health officials, producers and other industry stakeholders. The drill simulated various outbreak scenarios as those attending worked through response protocols spanning disease investigations, a confirmed outbreak, depopulation and disposal, control zones and permitting processes.
National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Chief Veterinarian Liz Wagstrom and Assistant Vice President of Communications Jim Monroe participated in the drill. NPPC continues to work closely with USDA and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on ASF prevention and has called on Congress to appropriate funding for 600 new CBP agricultural inspectors.