Additional measures will strengthen ability to quickly and effectively respond.

Krissa Welshans, Livestock Editor

March 6, 2020

2 Min Read
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Speaking at the National Pork Industry Forum today, U.S. Department of Agriculture undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs Greg Ibach announced an African swine fever (ASF) action plan in the event that the swine-only disease is 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 pork industry’s vigilance and partnership in this successful effort thus far,” Ibach said. “However, the additional measures I am announcing today will strengthen our ability to quickly and effectively respond to the disease if detected here at home.”

USDA is prepared to implement the following measures to help ensure an immediate and effective response if ASF is detected in the U.S.:

  • The agriculture secretary would immediately take necessary steps to declare an “extraordinary emergency” establishing USDA as the leader of a coordinated national approach to control and eradication and ensuring the availability of funding and additional resources necessary for the response.

  • USDA would issue a national standstill of at least 72 hours to prohibit all movement of swine, increasing USDA’s ability to stop disease spread and to act quickly to restore movement on a regionalized basis.

  • For the depopulation of infected and exposed animals, USDA would work with states and the industry to utilize the most efficient and effective depopulation methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Assn. that are appropriate for the affected premises.

  • To prevent the ASF virus from leaving infected premises, USDA will work proactively with the industry and states to ensure that producers have herd plans to deal with carcass disposal in line with regional and local requirements, supporting composting and burial in place as preferred options.

To reduce paperwork, USDA also plans to pay for virus elimination at a uniform, flat rate based on the size of affected premises.

"We are grateful to Secretary [Sonny] Perdue and undersecretary Ibach for hearing the concerns of U.S. pork producers," said National Pork Producers Council president David Herring, a pork producer from Lillington, N.C. "We remain committed to working with the USDA and Customs & Border Protection to keep ASF out of the United States."

USDA researchers are currently developing vaccine candidates that show promise against ASF but have said a commercial compatible vaccine is probably still years away. In the meantime, USDA said it will continue to work with industry and state partners to keep ASF out of the U.S.

“ASF is epidemiologically similar to foot and mouth disease, and USDA’s system of overlapping safeguards and prevention efforts have been successful against that disease for over 90 years now,” Ibach said. “We remain confident those efforts will provide the same protections against ASF.”

About the Author(s)

Krissa Welshans

Livestock Editor

Krissa Welshans grew up on a crop farm and cow-calf operation in Marlette, Michigan. Welshans earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Michigan State University and master’s degree in public policy from New England College. She and her husband Brock run a show cattle operation in Henrietta, Texas, where they reside with their son, Wynn.

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