Market News & Headlines >> African Swine Fever Confirmed in Dominican Republic

The presence of African swine fever (ASF) has been confirmed in samples collected from pigs in the Dominican Republic, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said on Wednesday in a news release. The ASF detection is the first in the Western Hemisphere, according to European Food Safety Authority data, Bloomberg News reports.

APHIS has numerous interlocking safeguards in place to prevent ASF from entering the U.S., the agency said. Pork and pork products from the Dominican Republic are already prohibited entry into the U.S. due to existing classical swine fever restrictions.  

In addition, the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is increasing inspections of flights from the Dominican Republic to ensure travelers do not bring prohibited products to the United States, APHIS said. CBP will also be ensuring garbage from these airplanes are properly disposed of to prevent the transmission of ASF. 

USDA is committed to assisting the Dominican Republic in dealing with ASF and will also offer similar help to Haiti, which borders the Dominican Republic and is at high risk for ASF detections.