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APHIS launches Protect our Pigs ASF awareness campaign

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is launching a new awareness campaign to help prevent the introduction of African swine fever in the U.S.

USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Moffitt says “Protect our Pigs” will support commercial pork producers, veterinarians, and pig owners with information and resources to help safeguard America’s swine population.

Speaking to Brownfield at last week’s World Pork Expo, National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys said ASF is always a concern.

“For our industry and the folks out there, and the prevention and preparedness that we’re working on as an organization , but as an industry as a whole. And obviously within that, discussion around trade and the implications there with almost 30 percent of our product being exported year over year.”

APHIS is introducing a new Protect Our Pigs website that will house fact sheets, instructional videos, ASF disease updates, and a new interactive biosecurity guide.

APHIS associate administrator Dr. Jack Shere says USDA is working every day to stop ASF from breaching North American borders and the Protect our Pigs campaign is just one of many ways the agency is doing that.