We’ve been hearing about African Swine Fever lately. So what is it, and what’s being done about it? That’s the topic of today’s This Land of Ours.
African swine fever is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease that affects every kind of swine. But, ASF is not a threat to human health or food safety.
ASF spread from Africa and European nations in the 1960s and 1970s and arrived in Brazil in 1978. According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, it has spread to countries around the world, however, it has never been found in the United States. APHIS is the branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that works to keep animal diseases like this out of our nation. It would have a significant impact on U.S. livestock producers, their communities, and the economy if it were found here, because if there is an outbreak many restrictions on the pork supply. APHIS says the best way the general public can help is to follow livestock and food regulations when returning from other countries.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson’s This Land of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.