Pork Ban From USVI and Puerto Rico Remains in Effect Amid ASF Concerns, USDA Says as Holiday Travel Increases

Amid the bustle of the holiday travel season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is sounding the alarm about the current dangers involved in transporting pork products from its Caribbean territories onto the mainland.  The USDA is on heightened alert for African Swine Fever (ASF). It is caused by a virus that, while posing no threat to human health, leads to high rates of illness and death among domestic pigs. In 2021, ASF was detected in the Dominican Republic, prompting USDA to declare Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands a protection zone. What this means, practically speaking, is that pork products are not allowed from these territories onto the mainland.  According to USDA Agriculturist Fernando Lugo, the ban extends to all pork products. “It's a virus that can survive extreme temperatures…so it doesn't matter if the product is fresh, cooked, or frozen,” he said.  “Even though this disease doesn't affect humans, it could have devastating effects in the pork supply and on the ...