We have been hearing a lot about African Swine Flu in the past few days. The USDA has recently announced the presence of ASF in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Republic is a Caribbean nation that shares its island with Haiti. Because it’s an island, the virus was transported by ship or plane.
After reading the following article, I felt it would be good information to share with our producers.
David Limoges
Feed Sales Manager
Crystal Valley
The following article is from Swine news – News – pig333.com
The Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the presence of African swine fever (ASF) in samples collected from pigs in the Dominican Republic. Sample collection is part of a cooperative surveillance program.
The Ministry of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic has reported that the results of the 389 samples belonging to pigs raised in farms and backyard sent to the Laboratory of Animal Diseases of Plum Island, in the United States, indicate the presence of African swine fever in backyard pigs from the provinces Sánchez Ramírez and Montecristi.
In the Sánchez Ramírez province, there is a population of 15,000 pigs, while that of Montecristi is approximately 4,600 pigs.
The Ministry of Agriculture, through the Department of Animal Health, has arranged the following preventive measures:
In relation to the United States, both the entry of live pigs and pork products from the Dominican Republic are prohibited in the United States as a result of existing restrictions for classical swine fever. Additionally, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is increasing the inspections of flights from the Dominican Republic to ensure that travelers do not bring prohibited products into the United States. CBP will also ensure that leftovers from these aircraft is properly disposed of to prevent transmission of ASF.
July 28, 2021/ USDA/ United States.
https://www.aphis.usda.gov