United States: USDA to establish FAD protection zone in Caribbean

Foreign animal disease protection zone will be set up in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands to protect the country from African swine fever The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said it would establish a foreign animal disease (FAD) protection zone in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to protect the country and its territories from African swine fever (ASF). The announcement comes almost a month after ASF was first confirmed in nearby Dominican Republic. The disease has not been detected in the U.S. or any of its territories. “Out of an abundance of caution, APHIS is taking this additional action to further safeguard the U.S. swine herd and protect the interests and livelihoods of U.S. pork producers,” USDA said in a press release. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) provides for the establishment of a protection zone within an area free of disease, as a temporary measure in response to an increased risk ...