As international travel increases, the Swine Health Information Center offers a reminder to report production agriculture traveler experiences while entering the United States and going through customs. Some travelers who self-reported visits to livestock production sites have not been diverted to customs agriculture specialists for secondary screening. SHIC, along with the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, National Pork Board and NPPC, ask international travelers to report if they were not diverted for secondary screening upon arrival in the United States.

During World Pork Expo 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection representatives shared their experience and protocols to lessen these occurrences.  All international travelers returning to the United States, or those arriving from other countries, after visiting a farm or being in contact with animals in an African swine fever virus-positive country, or country with any other foreign animal disease, should be aware of the expected protocol. These persons should declare this information to CBP via written form, airport kiosk, verbally or through the CBP's Mobile Passport Control app.

Protection of domestic pork production begins at each U.S. point of entry. CBP's four-legged protection team, Agriculture Canines (Ag K9), provides daily monitoring to stop foreign pork products from entering the country. Two CBP representatives, along with Ozcar, a member of the beagle brigade, shared how they approach their role of protecting the U.S. pork industry during World Pork Expo 2023.

Ozcar and his CBP handler performed a demonstration with luggage and showed how the beagle signals to where the contraband food items are located. While saying Ozcar's favorite item to detect is pork, which he found in a suitcase wrapped in plastic, his handler also showed him finding limes in a different suitcase. Those limes were also wrapped in a plastic grocery bag inside the luggage.

Ozcar's handler said the beagle works passenger facing flights coming into Chicago. Based on the CBP representative's report, the interdiction program prevents the entry of many prohibited products every day. CBP ag specialists and the beagle brigade continue to provide a high level of service to protect U.S. agriculture with their efforts.  CBP is publishing a real-time interdiction dashboard, where they report their agriculture enforcement statistics.

If you are not diverted for secondary screening after declaring you have been on a farm or in contact with animals in an ASF or other foreign animal disease positive nation, please email the following to Paul Sundberg:

SHIC aggregates this information so SHIC, AASV, NPB and NPPC can share it with CBP to help identify areas for continued focus.