African Swine Fever One Reason for Stopping Food Smuggling

Dan Exports/Imports, Pork, Poultry

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported last week that Federal agents had seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers in the past three months. Smuggling of prohibited foreign food products into the U.S. does pose a threat to U.S. agriculture, but USDA and other agencies are …

Breakthroughs in Developing an African Swine Fever Vaccine

Dan Pork

Tenacious USDA scientists have scored a breakthrough in the search for a vaccine against African Swine Fever (ASF). Gary Crawford reports efforts are getting closer and closer to the Holy-grail of animal health science when it comes to ASF. And after years of research, the scientists have a vaccine they say can work and is ready for commercial field testing. …

Groups Pleased with USDA Investment in Agriculture Announcement

Dan Pork, USDA

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a comprehensive set of investments to address challenges facing America’s agricultural producers. Of the $3 billion investment, up to $500 million will be used to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). This will be through robust expansion and coordination of monitoring, surveillance, prevention, quarantine, and eradication activities through USDA’s …

Dominican Republic Confirmed Positive for African Swine Fever

Dan Pork

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Wednesday that the Dominican Republic (DR) has confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF). The cases were confirmed as part of a cooperative surveillance program between the U.S. and the DR. The U.S. remains free of ASF, which is an animal disease affecting only pigs with no human health implications. USDA notes there …

Enhancing ASF Preparedness of Hog Slaughter Plants

Dan Pork

The USDA is currently working to help prepare the U.S. pork industry to respond if African Swine Fever (ASF) should be discovered in this country. Gary Crawford has the details. Dr. Barbara Porter-Spalding, with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, describes the workshop they held in January to help bring pork packing plants more into the ASF response …

USDA Announces Action Plan at Pork Forum

Dan Industry News Release, Pork

(USDA/APHIS) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Greg Ibach announced additional measures to control and eradicate African Swine Fever (ASF) if the virus is ever detected in the U.S.  “First and foremost, USDA is committed to doing all it can to prevent ASF from entering the U.S. and we greatly appreciate the …

U.S. Pork Industry Requests Additional ASF-Prevention Measures

Dan Industry News Release, Pork

(NPPC) — Thanks to continued vigilance by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the U.S. pork industry, the United States has so far prevented an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF), an animal disease affecting only pigs with no human health or food safety risks. To ensure the U.S. swine herd …

NPPC Applauds House Passage of Ag Inspectors Bill

Dan Industry News Release, Livestock, Pork

(NPPC) — The U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that authorizes funding for 740 new agricultural inspectors at land, air and sea ports to prevent African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases (FAD) from entering the United States. In October 2019, the Senate approved an identical version of the bill (S. 2017), which the House approved today. Providing …

Study to Learn Lessons about African Swine Fever

Dan Pork

We’ve talked various times about African Swine Fever (ASF) and how devastating of a disease it’s been in various countries. So efforts to keep it out of the U.S. continue, and according to a story from Rod Bain, that includes current research which hopes to find clues about the disease on the ground level in Vietnam. And Paul Sundberg with …