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Swine Disease

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We prevent and control swine diseases to protect the health, quality, and

marketability of U.S. pigs.

African Swine Fever 

African swine fever is a deadly disease of pigs that would devastate U.S. livestock

producers, their communities, and the economy if it were found here.
Classical Swine Fever 

Classical swine fever is a highly contagious disease of pigs caused by a virus.

Influenza A Virus in Swine 

Swine influenza is an upper respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza

viruses (IAV).

Pseudorabies 

Pseudorabies is a contagious disease that causes abortion and stillbirths, respiratory

problems, and occasionally death in pigs.

Swine Brucellosis 

Swine brucellosis is an infectious disease that causes abortions, infertility, and low

milk production in infected pigs.

Swine Health Services and Activities

Biosecurity

Biosecurity is a vital part of keeping your animals healthy. It reduces the chance of

infectious disease entering or spreading on your farm.

There are actions you can take to protect pigs with outdoor access from diseases

such as African swine fever:

Keep pigs healthy: Make sure your pigs are properly fed, have access to fresh

water and clean sleeping areas, and vaccinated.

Buy or borrow from disease-free herds.

Keep pastures, housing, and your farm clean.

Keep wildlife and insects under control.

Don't carry disease home: Make sure visitors, pigs, and yourself are free of

disease before entering your farm.

Write a farm biosecurity plan: Use it, review it, and update it.

Learn More
Protect Our Pigs: Fight African Swine Fever (campaign)

Fencing Out Feral Swine

Biosecurity for Pigs With Outdoor Access: Factsheet (63.58 KB) and Checklist

(39.1 KB)

7 Ways To Protect Pigs From African Swine Fever (225.17 KB)

Preventing Sick Pigs: An Ethical Responsibility (National Pork Board)

Swine Health Protection Act: Garbage Feeding Restrictions

Garbage feeding has caused swine disease outbreaks in many countries around the

world, which negatively impacted swine health and were costly to control. Congress

passed the Swine Health Protection Act in 1980 to better protect our country’s swine

herd.

APHIS works with States to enforce the Swine Health Protection Act, which provides

rules for feeding human food waste to pigs. This practice, known as "garbage

feeding," can spread harmful diseases to swine, including foreign animal diseases

such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and classical swine fever.

Requirements

Under the Swine Health Protection Act, owners must be licensed in order to feed

their pigs human food waste that contains or has had contact with meat, poultry, or

fish. The requirement applies to all garbage collected from food production

establishments like restaurants, school cafeterias, and food processing plants.

To kill any harmful viruses or bacteria, this food waste must be cooked to 212

degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes before feeding it to the pigs. Licensed producers

receive routine inspections from APHIS or State employees to make sure garbage

fed to swine undergoes proper cooking and handling to prevent possible disease

transmission.

Getting a License

The Swine Health Protection Act allows each State to determine whether garbage

feeding is allowed within their State. Many States do not allow garbage feeding.

If a State allows garbage feeding, each producer must obtain a license before

feeding any human food waste to their pigs. The licensing process requires the pig
producer to demonstrate appropriate cooking and handling of garbage used to feed

swine. The State also develops the structure for enforcing the Swine Health

Protection Act in their State. In some States, this is handled by State employees. In

other States, APHIS and State employees work together to enforce the Swine Health

Protection Act.

View our map to check enforcement status by State (1.54 MB)

Other Swine Health Programs

National Animal Health Monitoring System Swine Studies

Validated-Qualified Swine Herds

U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan

Wildlife Disease Surveillance and Research

APHIS Wildlife Services conducts surveillance and research on dozens of wildlife

diseases, including diseases associated with feral swine. For more information, visit

our National Wildlife Disease Program and National Wildlife Research Center.

Our National Feral Swine Damage Management Program also offers related

resources.