U.S. Pork Well Represented in USDA APHIS Accomplishments of 2023

Of the eight accomplishments USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently acknowledged in their efforts to protect U.S. agriculture and natural resources in 2023, three specifically address the U.S. pork industry: protecting the U.S. from African swine fever (ASF); opening, expanding, retaining and reopening live animal export markets; and controlling and eradicating feral swine.

• Protecting the United States from ASF. 
  APHIS continued to aggressively fight to keep ASF from entering the U.S. With millions of people traveling into the U.S. each year and the volume of imported products entering our country, APHIS’ work provides a critical protection to U.S. pigs.  By enhancing existing safeguards, increasing swine disease surveillance and testing, and increasing awareness of ASF through the “Protect our Pigs” and “Pigs Don’t Fly” campaigns, APHIS kept ASF out of the U.S. in 2023.  APHIS also worked closely with States and industry to update and refine response plans, and worked with scientists at the National Veterinary Services Laboratories and across the National Animal Health Laboratory Network  to be ready in case ASF reaches the U.S.
   
• Opening, expanding, retaining and reopening live animal export markets. 
  In fiscal year 2023, APHIS negotiated science-based animal health requirements and removed potential trade barriers to open, expand, retain or reopen 72 markets for U.S. live animal exports. This included retaining market access for poultry exports to numerous countries that imposed restrictions due to current outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza and previous outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease.
   
• Controlling and eradicating feral swine. 
  The APHIS National Feral Swine Damage Management Program continued to reduce the destructive impacts of invasive feral swine to American agriculture, natural resources, property, and human health and safety, declaring a 12th state (Indiana) free of feral swine since the Program’s inception in 2014.  As part of the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program (funded in the 2018 Farm Bill), APHIS also provided direct feral swine control to over 6,700 landowners across approximately 7.3 million acres in 12 states.
   

Other major accomplishments that also impact the pork industry and beyond included:

• Protecting and preserving American agriculture with innovative tools. 
• Charting the course for the next five years.
• Enabling safe trade while protecting America from invasive pests.
• Protecting American livelihoods and consumer prices with aggressive response to HPAI.
• Hiring a new administrator for APHIS

“Every day, APHIS enhances its mission of protecting American agriculture, boosting agricultural exports, and developing new and better tools to fight invasive pests and diseases. As the challenges and threats evolve, so do we. We learn better surveillance techniques, use more sophisticated equipment, and access more advanced data analysis. We continue to build and strengthen partnerships across sectors and borders, deepening and enhancing our prevention and response capabilities. We do it all in earnest dedication to our mission and everyone who relies on us for their livelihoods and success,” Marketing and Regulatory Programs Under Secretary Jenny Lester Moffitt, said in a release.