US pig industry warns of dramatic effects of ASF

After outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in the American neighbors Dominican Republic and Haiti, concerns about the introduction of the virus are high in the United States. The American Department of Agriculture (USDA) therefore held a week of action on ASP with numerous webinars on animal disease in mid-September in order to inform and raise awareness among pig farmers. Third of US pork exported At the event, the National Pork Board's swine health director, Dr. Patrick Webb, said that an ASF case would jeopardize the livelihoods of 62,000 pig farmers and 550,000 workers in the US pork industry. He pointed out that almost 30% of the pork produced in the US was exported last year. In 1995 the country became a net exporter and in 2020 sold almost 3 million tonnes worth the equivalent of 6.6 billion euros abroad. In relation to a single pig, the value of the exports was almost € 50.40. "In the event of an ASF outbreak in the United States, most of these exports would have to ...