The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is advising the public that it has added the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the APHIS list of regions considered to be affected with African swine fever. The agency has taken this action because of the confirmation of ASF in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

ASF is a highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that can spread rapidly with extremely high rates of morbidity and mortality. A list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably believed to exist is maintained on the APHIS website.

On May 18, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal reported to the World Organization for Animal Health the occurrence of ASF in that country. In response to that report, on May 23, 2022, APHIS added the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the list of regions where ASF exists or the Administrator has reason to believe that ASF exists. This notice serves as an official record and public notification of that action.

As a result, pork and pork products from Nepal, including casings, are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the risk of ASF introduction into the United States.