Traveling? Don't Forget to Report Lack of Secondary Screening
Social media feeds full of vacation photos from around the world are a reminder that international travel is picking back up. The Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) reminds travelers of the importance of reporting production agriculture traveler experiences while entering the U.S. and going through customs.
"Some travelers who self-reported visits to livestock production sites have not been diverted to customs agriculture specialists for secondary screening," SHIC says in its latest newsletter. "SHIC, along with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, National Pork Board and NPPC, ask international travelers to report if they were not diverted for secondary screening upon arrival in the U.S."
All international travelers returning to the U.S., or those arriving from other countries, after visiting a farm or being in contact with animals in an ASFV-positive country, or country with any other foreign animal disease, should be aware of the expected protocol, SHIC says. Declare this information to US CBP via written form, airport kiosk, verbally or through the CBP’s Mobile Passport Control app.
During World Pork Expo 2023, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection representatives shared their experience and protocols to lessen these occurrences. Along with Ozcar, a member of the Beagle Brigade, they discussed how they approach their role of protecting the U.S. pork industry.
"Protection of domestic pork production begins at each U.S. point of entry," SHIC points out. CBP’s agriculture canines provides daily monitoring to stop foreign pork products from entering the country.
Ozcar and his CBP handler performed a demonstration with luggage and showed how the beagle signals to where the contraband food items are located. Although Ozcar’s favorite item to detect is pork, which he found in a suitcase wrapped in plastic, his handler also showed him finding limes in a different suitcase. Those limes were also wrapped in a plastic grocery bag inside the luggage, the article adds.
Ozcar works passenger-facing flights coming into Chicago. The interdiction program prevents the entry of many prohibited products every day, his handler explained. CBP publishes a real-time interdiction dashboard, where they report their agriculture enforcement statistics.
Traveler Reminder
SHIC says if you are NOT diverted for secondary screening after declaring you have been on a farm or in contact with animals in an ASF or other foreign animal disease positive nation, please email the following to psundberg@swinehealth.org:
- Your name (optional - please specify if you do NOT want your name shared)
- Country (or countries) visited
- Date and time of return
- Airline and flight number
- Arrival airport
- Declaration method (written form, kiosk, or verbal)
- Customs and Border Patrol employee name, if possible (displayed on right side of shirt)
- Any other pertinent circumstances
Sundberg says SHIC aggregates this information so SHIC, AASV, NPB and NPPC can share it with CBP to help identify areas for continued focus.
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