WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a federal order suspending interstate movement of all live swine, swine germplasm, swine products and swine byproducts from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to the mainland U.S.
This order is the final action in a series of safeguards needed to establish an African swine fever protection zone in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. APHIS is taking this action out of an abundance of caution to further safeguard the U.S. swine herd and protect the interests and livelihoods of U.S. pork producers.
African swine fever has not been detected in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, but it was found in July in the Dominican Republic. After confirmation, APHIS increased existing surveillance and mitigations within Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
