USDA adds ASF testing to classical swine fever surveillance plan
USDA decided to run tests for the ASF virus in its current classical swine fever surveillance plan as the risk of the disease appearing on American soil is considered to be high.
As part of this plan, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will work with the swine industry, the states, and veterinary diagnostic laboratories to test for ASF. ASF has never been detected in the United States.
"African Swine Fever is an area of high interest among the veterinary community and our swine industry, and we continue to take action to prepare for this deadly disease. 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", said Greg Ibach, Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs.
The fear among the pork industry and authorities in the US is so strong that World Pork Expo was canceled by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) due to the ASF risk and the government has entrusted Homeland Security with the task of developing a vaccine for the disease.
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