The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) confirms there are no food safety concerns about the nation’s pork supply after H5N1 was detected this week in an Oregon backyard farm. NPPC continues to work closely with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services and pork industry stakeholders on disease surveillance programs.
Thursday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had a quick update on the backyard farming operation with a mix of poultry and livestock.
Vilsack confirmed the backyard swine in Oregon did test positive for a strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
NPPC noted with rigorous on-farm biosecurity programs in place, the pork industry has worked alongside APHIS since 2009 to carry out the swine influenza surveillance program to identify viruses circulating in swine.