The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced they seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry, and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers during the last quarter of 2021.
These items were sourced from China, lacked required import permits and health certificates, and therefore are considered a risk of introducing invasive plant and animal pests and diseases into the United States.
APHIS is concerned about these prohibited products because China is a country affected by African swine fever (ASF), Classical swine fever, Newcastle disease, Foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza and swine vesicular disease. ASF is of particular concern because the highly contagious and deadly viral disease that affects both domestic and feral swine of all ages has recently spread throughout China and Asia, as well as within parts of the European Union. Most recently, ASF was confirmed in pigs in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
ASF is not a threat to human health, but it is a deadly swine disease swine that would have a significant impact on U.S. pork producers, their communities and export markets if discovered in the U.S. ASF has never been found in the United States – and APHIS wants to keep it that way.
MINNESOTA: CUSTOMS OFFICERS SEIZED OVER 104 POUNDS OF BUSHMEAT DURING LAST WEEK OF 2021
