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 The disease, African swine fever, can kill hogs in just two days,
but is not harmful to people. China, home to the world's largest hog
herd, has reported more than 100 cases of the disease in 27
provinces and regions since August. Efforts to contain the fever
have disrupted Chinese pork supplies.
U.S. officials decided to ramp up their fight to avoid the virus
after Vietnam confirmed its first cases last month, said Greg Ibach,
USDA's undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs.
They will add 60 beagle teams at key U.S. commercial ports, seaports
and airports, for a total of 179 teams, to expand arrival screenings
and check cargo for illegal pork products that can carry the virus,
according to USDA. The agency will work with U.S. Customs and Border
Protection.
Beagles and beagle mixes are the preferred breed of dog for this
kind of work because of their keen sense of smell and gentle
disposition.
"They can detect those items that are prohibited from entering the
United States when they walk around the airport doing their
investigations with their noses," Ibach said in a phone interview.
USDA, meat companies and farmers want to keep out African swine
fever because U.S. cases would likely shut off export markets for
American pork and make consumers cautious.
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Chinese food products have been found to contain the virus in recent
months, prompting Beijing to require that slaughterhouses sample
batches for the disease.
USDA established its detector dog program, known as the "Beagle
Brigade," in 1984, with one beagle trained to sniff out plants and
animal products at Los Angeles International Airport, according to
Customs and Border Protection.
"Whether it's meat products or fruit or any agricultural products,
those beagles are going to find it," said Paul Sundberg, executive
director of the Swine Health Information Center.
USDA said it will also ensure that travelers who pose a risk of
spreading the African swine fever virus receive extra inspections at
ports of entry.
It will also ramp up inspections of U.S. facilities that feed
garbage to livestock to ensure the waste is cooked properly to
prevent potential disease spread.
Hogs can be infected by African swine fever by direct contact with
infected pigs or by eating garbage containing meat products from
infected pigs.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Rosalba
O'Brien)
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