Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 5/16/19



USDA announced Thursday it is boosting its African swine fever preparedness efforts with the implementation of a surveillance plan that will include adding ASF testing to the agency’s existing classical swine fever surveillance.

USDA said it will test samples from the same high-risk animals, using the same overall process, but will test for both diseases instead of one. USDA and its partners expect to begin ASF surveillance efforts within weeks, and will implement the full surveillance plan over the course of the spring.

The surveillance effort will test samples from high-risk animals, including sick pig submissions to veterinary diagnostic laboratories; sick or dead pigs at slaughter; and pigs from herds that are at greater risk for disease through such factors as exposure to feral swine or garbage feeding.

In addition, USDA will work with state and federal partners to identify and investigate incidents involving sick or dead feral swine to determine if they should be tested for ASF or other foreign animal diseases.

“While we are confident that our overlapping safeguards will continue to keep ASF out of the United States, an enhanced surveillance program will serve as an early warning system, helping us find any potential disease much more quickly. It will also minimize virus spread and support efforts to restore trade markets and animal movements as quickly as possible should the disease be detected,” Greg Ibach, undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said in a press release.

The National Pork Producers Council said it supports USDA’s plan and would work with the agency to strengthen safeguards, noting the risk of ASF is growing as outbreaks continue throughout China and other parts of Asia.

There is currently no vaccination available against the disease.

“U.S. pork producers are already suffering as a result of numerous trade disputes with top-importing countries, and an outbreak of ASF in the United States would be devastating," said David Herring, NPPC president and a pork producer from Lillington, N.C. "That's why it's so important we have a strong surveillance program, to ensure early notification of any spread of the virus.

Additional prevention measures
The surveillance testing of commercial swine herds is an addition to USDA’s overall African swine fever prevention effort, including:
• Working with officials in Canada and Mexico on a North American coordinated approach to ASF defense, response and trade maintenance;
• Working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection at ports of entry, paying particular attention to cargo, passengers and products arriving from China and other ASF affected countries;
• Increasing detector dog teams with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to sniff out illegal products at key U.S. commercial sea and airports;
• Collaborating with states, industry and producers to ensure strict on-farm biosecurity protocols and best practices are followed, including for garbage feeding in states where that is allowed;
• Restricting imports of pork and pork products from affected countries;
• Coordinating closely on response plans with the U.S. pork industry, producers and states to be ready should a detection occur in the United States; and
• Expanding the testing capabilities and testing capacity of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

ASF is a highly contagious and deadly disease affecting both domestic and feral pigs. It does not affect human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. ASF has never been detected in the United States.

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