African Swine Fever Testing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans wide testing of American pigs for African swine fever this spring.Greg Ibach, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs says an enhanced surveillance program will serve as an early warning system, helping find any potential disease much more quickly.
Ibach earlier spoke with the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture.
" African Swine Fever has been a tough disease to find a cure or a vaccine for. And even to understand completely how we can decontaminate or disinfect a premises once it becomes present in that building or facility."
He says Agriculture officials learned how important biosecurity measures were after the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2015.
Under the program, farmers will report any pig that shows signs of the disease so that it can be tested. The USDA also will monitor slaughterhouses for animals that show symptoms.