U.S. flag An official website of the United States government

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  1. Home
  2. Science & Research
  3. About Science & Research at FDA
  4. FDA Grand Rounds
  5. FDA's work with African Swine Fever from a policy and regulatory perspective - 06/10/2021 - 06/10/2021
  1. FDA Grand Rounds

Webcast | Virtual

Event Title
FDA's work with African Swine Fever from a policy and regulatory perspective
June 10, 2021

Date:
June 10, 2021
Organized By:
Organizer

About the Speakers:

Jenny Murphy, MS
Deputy Director
Office of Surveillance and Compliance, CVM

Jenny Murphy is the Deputy Director for Foods in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine - Office of Surveillance and Compliance. In her current role, Jenny coordinates CVM’s food safety policy portfolio and works with office staff and staff across FDA to advance FDA’s animal food safety programs.   

Linda A. Benjamin, PhD
Supervisor, Animal Feed Safety Team
Division of Animal Feeds, CVM

Dr. Benjamin is the Leader of the Animal Food Safety Team in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine - Office of Surveillance and Compliance. In her current role, Dr. Benjamin, coordinates scientific support on hazards in animal food as well as emerging animal food issues such as African Swine Fever.

About the Presentation:

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease of swine (both farm-raised and wild) that causes significant economic losses to the swine industry in affected countries. The primary transmission of ASF is either pig-to-pig or through a pig consuming contaminated pork, but the virus can also be spread through ticks and inadvertently by humans. The ASF virus is considered a foreign animal disease (FAD) and the USDA has U.S. government lead for prevention, surveillance, and control. Data has emerged to show that animal food can also be a transmission vehicle, and FDA is the primary U.S. government responsible for the oversight of the animal food supply.

The FDA and USDA have been working collaboratively on thinking through the complexities of animal food as a vector for ASF transmission. The FDA is working to educate the pork and animal food industries on the importance of pre-market review for any substances utilized to mitigate the risk of ASF in animal food and has committed to expedited review of potential food additives used for this purpose. The FDA has developed an ASF response plan to identify critical activities needed to detect and respond to the presence of the virus in animal food to prevent further spread of the disease and to facilitate swift normalization for the production of and distribution of animal food in the event of an outbreak. The FDA is evaluating the feasibility of developing laboratory detection methods to enhance the biosecurity of imported animal food while maintaining the ability of U.S. grain producers to export their product.

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain what African Swine Fever (ASF) is and how it is transmitted.
  • Explain the global implications associated with an ASF outbreak.
  • List some of the organizations and government agencies that may collaborate in the investigation of an ASF outbreak.
  • Understanding of the key strategies in the FDA’s ASF Response Plan.
  • Describe some of the challenges faced by the FDA in responding to an ASF outbreak.

Webcast Recording

 

Event Materials

Title File Type/Size
Activity Outline FDA Grand Rounds: June 10, 2021 pdf (219.52 KB)
 
Back to Top