The German government is reportedly asking China to relax its import ban on pork more than two months after African swine fever was first discovered in Germany.
National Pork Producers Council science and technology legal counsel Andrew Bailey says while not much is known about the financial impact of Germany getting locked out of the Chinese market, the situation does reinforce the importance of keeping ASF out of North America.
“There are a lot of plans for response or eradication if it were to come here, but obviously the number one priority is just making sure it doesn’t come to the U.S.”
He tells Brownfield the pork sector is relying heavily on the agricultural quarantine and inspection program administered by USDA and Customs and Border Protection.
