New measures announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture aim to ensure the country can respond quickly in the event of an African swine fever outbreak.

USDA’s under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, Greg Ibach, announced the new plan at the recent Pork Forum in Kansas City, Missouri.

“First and foremost, USDA is committed to doing all it can to prevent ASF from entering the U.S. and we greatly appreciate the pork industry’s vigilance and partnership in this successful effort thus far,” Ibach said. “However, the additional measures I’m announcing today will strengthen our ability to quickly and effectively respond to the disease if detected here at home.”

Ibach announced five measures the agency would take if ASF is detected:

The agriculture secretary would declare an “extraordinary emergency,” which would make USDA the leader of a “coordinated national approach to control and eradication,” while ensuring funding is available for the response.
USDA would prohibit all swine movement for 72 hours to stop disease spread.
USDA would work with states and industry members to implement effective and efficient depopulation methods approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The agency will work proactively with producers to make sure they have plans for carcass disposal, “supporting composting and burial in place as preferred options.”
USDA plans to pay for virus elimination at a uniform, flat rate, based on the size of affected premises. The agency says this would reduce paperwork.

African swine fever recently resurfaced in China’s Hubei province, after being absent from the region since September.

USDA announces new African swine fever plan