The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending its regulations to add the Mexican state of Nayarit to the list of regions considered to be free of classical swine fever (CSF). APHIS conducted a thorough risk evaluation that determined the region is CSF free.
Under this final rule, Nayarit must meet certain 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 located adjacent to regions that are still considered infected.
In order to export to the United States, Nayarit would have to certify the products’ origin, move and process pork products in CSF-free zones and require that all processing facilities be inspected by the government of Mexico.
Nayarit is not a major swine production area. In 2004, 34 commercial swine farms were located in Nayarit, with a population of 30,634 animals. This rulemaking is unlikely to have a significant effect on U.S. pork and pork products markets since Mexico is mainly an importer of U.S. pork. In 2004, Mexico exported approximately 3.2 percent or 36,000 metric tons of their total pork production.
The final rule is scheduled for publication in the June 1 Federal Register and becomes effective June 18.