August 13, 2009

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has begun meeting with government agencies, state animal health and public health officials as well as pork industry associations to determine plans for the event of a positive diagnosis of AH1N1 in the US swine herd.

The plan, developed in close collaboration with the US pork industry has been shared with the Agricultural Research Service, the Food Safety Inspection Service and the Centers for Disease Control for responding to an AH1N1-positive herd and for enhancing surveillance so that the full federal and state government has the same understanding of the plans. The APHIS plans will also be shared with the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.

According to the National Pork Producers Council, the goals of these plans are to provide stability to the marketplace in the case of a positive AH1N1 diagnosis in swine, to protect public health and to gain a better understanding of the impact of influenza viruses in the US swine herd.

The plans include herd surveillance, pig movement and communication priorities. The meetings with state animal health officials will help coordinate actions in their respective states working with swine veterinarians and pork producers to implement on-farm plans.