U.S. Taking Steps to Harden Border Biosecurity in Light of ASF

The Swine Health Information Centre reports the United States is taking steps to reduce the potential for African Swine Fever to enter the country from China

by Bruce Cochrane – FarmScape Online

African Swine Fever has been spreading in China and is now reported in Belgium.

Swine Health Information Centre Executive Director Dr. Paul Sundberg says the PED virus that came to North America in 2013 originated from one of the provinces in China that has ASF and, since we don’t know how that happened, the concern is could that window still be open?

“What we’re trying to do is look at all of the possible inputs and pathways that the virus could gain entry into the country”

“The American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the National Pork Producers Council, the National Pork Board and Swine Health Information Centre, all four industry organizations, are talking to USDA regularly about all of the things that can be done to help harden our systems.

“We’re looking at the customs and border protection in the U.S. in upping the inspections of people that are coming into the country, not just from the far east but also from eastern Europe and other areas because we know that that virus is not just in China.

“We’re also asking for USDA to help increase the inspections of any swill feeding, any food waste feeding that is going on with pigs around the country, increase those inspections of licensed feeders and increase the enforcement of the regulations for those that aren’t licensed.

“What we’re trying to do is look at all of the possible inputs and pathways that the virus could gain entry into the country and harden those systems as best as possible.”

Dr. Sundberg says an incursion of African Swine Fever would immediately take the United States out of the international trade market followed by a process of isolation leading to eradication.

He says the costs of getting back to free from one of those high consequence foreign animal diseases would be in the billions of dollars over a ten year process.