IARN — The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry, and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers. APHIS says the items came from China, lacked the required import permits and health certificates, and therefore are considered a risk for introducing invasive plant and animal pests and diseases into the U.S.
The contraband was seized over the course of October through December. The agency is concerned about these prohibited products because China is a country affected by African Swine Fever (ASF), Classical Swine Fever, Foot-and-Mouth Disease, as well as several other problems.
ASF is the biggest concern as the disease has spread through China and much of Asia, as well as within parts of the European Union. In recent months, ASF was confirmed in pigs in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. ASF doesn’t affect humans but is a deadly disease that decimated China’s hog industry.
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
