African Swine Fever has now spread to 14 of the 32 provinces in the Dominican Republic. Minnesota Pork Producers Association CEO Dave Priesler said the DR and other Caribbean countries has had Classical Swine Fever for years, so the ASF confirmation was not a huge surprise. “Quite honestly, the only reason we found this is out is because USDA has a cooperative agreement to do surveillance in the Dominican Republic. Having USDA work with higher-risk countries to do surveillance and testing at the high standards we have in this country is incredibly important to protect our own domestic herd.” Priesler said anything done to keep foreign animal diseases out of the U.S. is good for livestock producers and crop producers.
