On September 5, 2018, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials met with U.S. pork sector groups – including the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council and the Swine Health Information Center – to evaluate additional measures to prevent the spread to the United States of African swine fever (ASF) currently active in China and some European nations. The information about prevention was shared late September. Diagnostic preparedness, surveillance and response to infection was also discussed and is shared with this Q and A.

Pork producers and feed suppliers are asking about feed safety due to the discovery and spread of African swine fever (ASF) in China where some feed ingredients, including soy bean meal, dried distillers grains and solubles (DDGS), amino acids, and vitamins, are manufactured and exported to the US. In response to this concern, swine industry groups including the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and American Association of Swine Veterinarians reviewed existing research for information about appropriate feed holding time to enhance feed safety.