CBP Newark Kicks Off Chinese Lunar Year Seizing Prohibited Animal Products

February 20, 2019 — 

NEWARK, N.J.—U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agriculture specialists from the Port of New York/Newark rang in the Chinese Lunar Year by intercepting twenty-three shipments, which contained over 10,000 kilograms of prohibited animal products from China, attempting to make entry into the United States via containerized sea cargo. [Source: CBP, 19 Feb 2019]

"CBP Agriculture Specialists made critical interceptions of these prohibited animal products and stopped them from entering the United States before they could potentially cause grave damage to our agricultural and economic vitality," said Troy Miller, Director, Field Operations, New York Field Office.

Animal disease outbreaks are a threat to the United States that can adversely impact public health, cause global trade halts, and destabilize the economy and our nation's food supply. In China, growing outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF), a highly contagious swine viral disease that affects pigs, have prompted stricter US import requirements and increased vigilance from CBP.

ASF does not harm humans, but it spreads rapidly among domestic pigs and wild boars through direct contact or exposure to farm workers' contaminated shoes, clothing, and equipment. Learn more about how CBP agriculture specialists protect the United States from dangerous pests and disease that could affect the county's economic vitality.