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USDA Announces ASF Response Plan; Prevention Remains Top Priority
Fri, 06 Mar 2020 10:31:42 CST
At the National Pork Industry Forum today, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach announced an African swine fever (ASF) action plan should the swine-only disease be detected in the United Sates. To date, the United States is free of African swine fever; prevention remains the number one priority for the National Pork Producers Council.
According to the plan, USDA Secretary Perdue would immediately declare an "extraordinary emergency" if ASF was detected in the United States. In doing so, the USDA would be established as the leader of a national, coordinated response to control and eradicate the swine disease, which poses no human health or food safety risks. By declaring an extraordinary emergency, the USDA ensures the availability of funding and other resources to effectively manage response.
"We are grateful to Secretary Perdue and Under Secretary Ibach for hearing the concerns of U.S. pork producers," said David Herring, NPPC president and a pork producer from Lillington, North Carolina. "We remain committed to working with the USDA and Customs and Border Protection to keep ASF out of the United States."
Other elements of the USDA response plan include:
• A national stop-movement of pigs order of at least 72-hours with an eye toward restoring movement on a regionalized basis as soon as possible.
• Depopulation efforts aligned with guidance from the American Veterinary Medical Association and in coordination with state animal health officials and the industry.
• Support for carcass disposal in line with regional and local requirements (composting and burial in place identified as preferred options.
• Payments for virus elimination at a uniform, flat rate based on the size of affected premises.
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