An Analysis of Select Swine Feed Ingredients and Pork Products Imported into the US from African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) Affected Countries

August 2, 2021 — 

The potential for feed ingredients to serve as a vehicle for African swine fever virus (ASFV) introduction to the US remains a significant concern. It is therefore imperative that channels through which high-risk livestock feeds and feed ingredients are imported into the US from ASFV positive countries are identified and considered into the USDA's ASF National Response Framework. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of a novel analytical tool to categorically quantify pork products and potential high-risk feed ingredients that have entered the US from ASFV-positive countries over a five year period (2016-2020). Data for this study were obtained at the United States International Trade Commission Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) website (www.hs.usitc.gov), a publicly available website that provides transaction information on specific trade commodities between the US and its international trading partnersA total of 29 high-risk pork products or feed ingredients with the potential to be fed to pigs were analyzed. High risk products and ingredients were defined as those that previous research has shown to facilitate extended viral survivability, and includes products such as soybean oilcake, distillers grains, pet food, and pork sausage casings. Data were exported into Microsoft Excel and organized into pivot tables to describe the quantity of each product by country of origin and Port of Entry (POE). The analysis focused on the 60 ASFV-positive countries as currently reported by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In 2020, a total of 486,902 metric tons (MT) of these high-risk products were imported into the US from a total of 19 of the 60 foreign countries currently listed as ASFV positive by the OIE. A majority of imported animal feed ingredients came from India in 2020 (85.8%; 392,243 MT), whereas the majority of pork products and by-products were imported from Poland (21,191 MT, 70.6%). Soybean oilcake from India entered the US through a total of 15 ports of entry (POEs) in 2020. Of these POEs, a total of 5 POEs received greater than 91% of all of soy oilcake originating from India, including Baltimore, MD (37.7%), San Francisco, CA (30.1%), Seattle, WA (12.7%), New Orleans, LA (5.9%), and Detroit, MI (5.1%). When examining trends over a five year period, a few noteworthy findings include the dramatic rise in soybean oilcake imported from India when compared to China, and a dramatic decrease in the total volume of pork sausage casings imported from China into the US. To support the risk management of feed imports, our novel approach focuses on seaport of highest risk and quantity of product received. Data provided in this report represents an initial listing of suspect pork products and feed ingredients entering the US, much of which is destined for animal feed. Specific detailed examples are provided in order to demonstrate the tool's flexible interface, which can be quickly modified to zero-in on specific feed ingredients, countries, or POEs depending on what the user's question may be. To the authors' knowledge, the use of and application of such a tool has not been previously utilized to support ongoing risk mitigation efforts. Potential outlets for future use of the analytical tool will be include a include a more user-friendly and interactive interface providing an inclusive analysis of global livestock feed ingredient sourcing. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Patterson G. An analysis of select swine feed ingredients and pork products imported into the US from African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) Affected Countries. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2021 Jul. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.14265