As of Oct. 21, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is restricting the importation of porcine commodities from Taiwan due to African swine fever, according to an APHIS news release Oct. 27.
Porcine (pork, swine, or pig) commodities originating from or transiting the region are subject to ASF-related import restrictions, such as those summarized below. Specific restrictions can differ by region and change as additional epidemiologic information becomes available. Details of region-specific import restrictions will be available through the Veterinary Services Permitting Assistant within a few weeks.
Restrictions
• Live swine and swine germplasm: Importation is prohibited.
• Processed porcine products and by-products:
If arriving as cargo, must be accompanied by VS import permit and/or government certification confirming that the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
If arriving in passenger baggage, must be shelf stable as a result of APHIS-approved packaging and cooking (for example, packed in hermetically sealed containers and fully cooked by a commercial method after such packing to produce articles that are shelf stable without refrigeration), or must be accompanied by a VS import permit and/or government certification confirming the products or by-products were treated in accordance with APHIS requirements.
• Unprocessed porcine products and by-products:
If arriving as cargo, importation is prohibited with limited exceptions. In some cases, unprocessed porcine products and by-products can be imported if consigned directly from the port of arrival to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
If arriving in passenger baggage, importation is prohibited, except for trophies that are fully taxidermy finished or consigned directly to an eligible USDA-approved establishment.
More information is available on the APHIS website:
Bringing Live Animals and Germplasm into the United States From Another Country (Import) can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/live-animal-import.
Animal Product Imports is located at www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-product-import
and
African Swine Fever: disease, prevention, and control information is at www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/swine/african-swine-fever.