USDA steps up African swine fever protection measures

10 Mar 2020 --- Additional measures to protect the US against African swine fever (ASF), if the virus is ever detected in the country, have been put in place by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The US government has been working to protect its pork industry for many months since ASF first took hold and rapidly spread across Asia and some European countries. Controlling and eradicating the virus is at the center of the action plan, should it ever get into the US.

“First and foremost, USDA is committed to doing all it can to prevent ASF from entering the US and we greatly appreciate the pork industry’s vigilance and partnership in this successful effort thus far,” says Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs, Greg Ibach.

“However, the additional measures 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 US:
- The 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 ASF 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 industry to utilize the most efficient and effective depopulation methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association that are appropriate for the affected premises.  
- To prevent the virus from leaving infected premises, USDA will work proactively with industry and states to ensure 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 plans to pay for virus elimination at a uniform, flat rate, based on the size of affected premises. 

USDA researchers are also developing vaccine candidates that show promise against ASF. Meanwhile, USDA will continue to work with industry and state partners to keep ASF out of the US, it stresses.

ASF is a highly contagious and potentially deadly viral disease affecting both domestic and feral (wild) pigs that has not been detected in the US. It was first detected in Asia in 2018 and while not dangerous to humans, the disease causes up to 100 percent fatality in pigs, leading to severe economic losses to the pig sector. Prices of pig meat, particularly in China, were reported to have spiked between February and May 2019 in FAO reports. China has culled more than one million pigs since the disease broke out in the country and ravaged farmed swine populations.

Last year, countries across the region are ramping up preparedness efforts to prevent further spread of the disease. In this global epidemic, small-scale farms that lack the capital and expertise to mitigate the crisis are hit the hardest.

 ASF does not affect human health and cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans.

“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,” adds Ibach. “We remain confident those efforts will provide the same protections against ASF.”

By Gaynor Selby

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