USDA Clarifies ASF Action Plan Comments Made During AASV Annual Meeting

March 11, 2020 — 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a clarification related to the African swine fever (ASF) action plan it will use should the swine disease be detected in the U.S. [Source: National Hog Farmer 11 March 2020]

Confusion around the agency's response plan resulted from comments made at this week's American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) meeting in Atlanta, Ga., when it was stated that a national standstill of at least 72 hours may not be the course of action the agency follows. USDA has come back to clarify the comments made by Dr. Jack Shere, associate administrator in charge of emergency planning and response, saying that in his comments, he emphasized USDA's total commitment to first prevent and then be able to respond to any ASF outbreak but "involved speculation about a highly unusual and theoretical case of a detection in a single backyard or feral swine." Shere had noted that a national shutdown may not be the approach taken to counter a finding of ASF and that, rather, it could be more regional.

USDA said it will respond to any ASF detection in exactly the manner stated by the undersecretary at Pork Forum and in its March 6 press release (found here).