NPPC Applauds USDA for Pre-Emptive Designation of Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands as ASF Protection Zone

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced its intent to designate Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as a "protection zone," a World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) designation that allows the United States to maintain its current animal health status should there be a detection of African swine fever (ASF) or other foreign animal disease on the island territories. The USDA will work to gain OIE acceptance of this designation to maintain U.S. pork export continuity should Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands have an animal test positive for African swine fever in the future. The United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, remain free of African swine fever, a swine-only disease with no human health implications. There is no commercial pork trade from Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands to the United States mainland. [Source: NPPC 26 August 2021]

"We thank Secretary Vilsack for taking this pre-emptive step to preserve the continuity of U.S. pork exports as we continue to work together to prevent the spread of African swine fever to the United States," said Jen Sorenson, president of the National Pork Producers Council. "We have significantly bolstered U.S. biosecurity defense against ASF since it began spreading in the Asia-Pacific region nearly three years ago and must re-double our efforts given the recent outbreak in the Dominican Republic."

The USDA announced confirmed cases of ASF in the Dominican Republic (DR) on July 28, 2021. The cases were confirmed as part of an ongoing cooperative surveillance program between the United States and the DR. The United States imports no pork, animal feed or other pork production-related products from the DR. The USDA, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), NPPC and other industry organizations are working together to contain the first outbreak of ASF in the Western hemisphere in approximately 40 years to the DR. These measures include:

• Aid to the DR - The USDA is providing continued testing support to the DR, setting up laboratory equipment and training laboratory personnel, providing personal protective equipment, and offering ongoing assistance on response and mitigation measures. In addition, surveillance and testing aid have been offered to Haiti, as it borders the DR and is at a significant risk for contracting ASF.
• Haiti Risk Mitigation - NPPC has reached out to the U.S. Department of State to ensure appropriate ASF-prevention protocols are followed by U.S. earthquake relief workers travelling to and from Haiti (e.g. making bleach solutions available to disinfect shoes). The State Department, USDA and USAID are collaborating in this effort.
• Enhanced mitigation efforts in Puerto Rico (PR) - CBP and USDA have taken a number of steps to guard against the spread of ASF to PR, including support for the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept illegal boat traffic from the DR and Haiti to Puerto Rico. They have also prioritized depopulation of urban feral pigs in PR over the next 12-18 months and are establishing a surveillance lab in PR.