Mexican state gains swine fever-free status
Washington - After a risk evaluation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to add the Mexi can state of Nayarit to the list of regions considered to be free of classical swine fever (CSF).
WASHINGTON — After a risk evaluation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is amending its regulations to add the Mexi can state of Nayarit to the list of regions considered to be free of classical swine fever (CSF).
Under this rule, Nayarit must meet certification requirements in order to export live swine, pork and pork products to the United States and continue to ensure its freedom from CSF. Although Nayarit is considered CSF-free, the state is adjacent to regions that are still considered infected.
In order to export to the United States, Nayarit has to certify its products' origin, move and process pork products in CSF-free zones and require that the Mexican government inspect all processing facilities.
Because Nayarit is not a major swine-production area, the ruling is unlikely to have a significant effect on U.S. pork and pork-products markets; Mexico is mainly an importer of U.S. pork. In 2004, Nayarit housed 34 commercial swine farms with a population of 30,634 animals; and Mexico exported approximately 3.2 percent of its total pork production.
A highly contagious viral disease in swine, CSF was eradicated from the United States in 1978 after a 16-year effort by the industry and state and federal government agencies.
