December 3, 2007

USDA eases pork import regulations on four EU countries

USDA said it would amend pork import regulations on Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will add the four countries to 'low risk' status for classical swine fever and free of swine vesicular disease.

Latvia and Lithuania will also be considered free of FMD and Rinderpest or cattle plague.

All four countries recently incorporated EU's animal health, welfare and identification legislation into their domestic laws, which included the legislation of classical swine fever, FMD and swine vesicular disease.

After adopting EU's conditions and undergoing an APHIS risk assessment, all four countries were qualified for a change in disease status.