USDA Secures Funds to Prevent ASF in U.S. Part 1

USDA’s Associate Administrator for APHIS, Jack Shere, joins us for this two-part series to talk about a new $500 million-dollar funding to keep African Swine Fever from hitting U.S. soil.

“Our secretary of agriculture Tom Vilsak… procured funds, $500 for USDA to work on African Swine Fever… So we have been using those funds to support the Dominican Republic and their control and eradication program, and Haiti’s program as they develop theirs also.”

“We've been beefing up our, our response… and our national stockpile, all the equipment in there, to deal with perhaps an African Swine Fever if it comes to the U.S.”

“So, we put in place a protection Zone which under the world Organization for Animal Health. It allows us if Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands get infected with African find favor, the mainland of the United States, our imports would not be affected. We could continue with that.”

“Should we get it in the United States, 28 percent of our exports would not be able to go overseas.”

Join us next time to talk about USDA’s new “Protect Our Pigs” campaign, which will support the pork industry to help safeguard America’s swine population and food supply.