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African Swine Fever 

Response Plan 

The Red Book

Revision 

 July 2023
Purpose

The USDA APHIS ASF Response Plan: 

The Red Book (July 2023)

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• The continued spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Asia 

and Europe and into the Western Hemisphere has elevated 

preparedness activities in the United States. 

• The Red Book revision, in combination with associated 

policy documents posted on www.aphis.usda/fadprep, 

provides a comprehensive response plan for the United 

States in the event ASF is introduced into our country.

• The target audience is animal health emergency responders, 

Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments as well as 

industry partners.

• The Red Book does not replace existing regional, State, 

Tribal, local, or industry preparedness and response plans.
What’s new or expanded

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• Addresses new policy for

– Authorization for indemnity and 

depopulation response time

– Trigger for a 72-Hour National 

Movement Standstill∞

– Resumption of movement options at 

‘Hour 73’∞

– Adopting standardized guidelines for 

harvesting establishments

– National standardized permitting 

guidance for Control Areas∞

– Restocking in a Control Area.

• Recognizes the Hispaniola ASF threat 

and describes the Protection Zone

 Includes a brief evaluation of the risk 

from Ornithodoros spp. tick as a vector 

 Introduces and describes the Domestic 

Pig and Feral Swine Incident 

Playbooks∞

• References the U.S. Swine Health 

Improvement Program (US SHIP) and 

Certified Swine Sampler Collection 

Program

• Introduces the Meat Harvesting 

Facilities Plans, and the Off-site 

Rendering and Spray Dried Facility 

Plans

• Emphasizes the role of contact tracing 

plays in an epi investigation

∞Detailed companion policy documents also posted (or pending) at 

www.aphis.usda.gov/fadprep 
ASF Response Goals

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Detect, control, and contain ASF in swine as quickly as possible.

Eradicate ASF using strategies that seek to stabilize animal agriculture, 

the food supply, the economy, and to protect public health and 

the environment.

Provide science- and risk-based approaches and systems to facilitate 

Continuity of Business (COB) for non-infected animals and noncontaminated animal products.

• Achieving these three goals will allow individual livestock facilities, 

States, Tribes, regions, and industries to resume normal production 

as quickly as possible. 

• They will also allow the United States to regain ASF-free status 

without the response effort causing more disruption and damage 

than the outbreak itself. 
ASF Epidemiological Principles

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• Prevent contact between ASF virus (ASFV) and pigs 

through

• the establishment of quarantines and Control Areas;

• aggressive contact tracing, including premises epi-linked 

through a network relationship; and

• enhancing biosecurity procedures that distance domestic 

pigs from feral swine.

• Stop the production of ASFV by mass depopulation (and 

disposal) of infected or exposed swine.

• Prevent the transmission of ASFV by vectors.

• Prevent ASFV from becoming established in feral swine 

populations.
ASF Response Strategy

Primary control strategy

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Establish Control Areas around Infected Premises or infected feral swine 

locations.

• For ASF the minimum size for a Control Area is 5 km beyond the 

perimeter of the Infected Premises.

• Prevent virus from coming into 

contact with susceptible swine. 

• Supported by quarantine 

and movement controls with 

enhanced biosecurity.

• Contact tracing is emphasized.

Re: vaccination

Currently there is no vaccine approved for emergency use in the U.S. 
ASF Response Strategy

Zones and Areas in relation to contact tracing

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Contact tracing of epidemiologically-linked premises will be 

emphasized in order to rapidly detect new cases.

All premises traced/ 

linked to an Infected 

Premises are subject to 

Control Area restrictions 

and diagnostic testing. 
ASF Response Strategy

Primary eradication strategy: stamping-Out

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• After the identification of an Infected Premises, all infected domestic pigs 

will be depopulated in the safest, and most humane way possible. 

• As a general goal, APHIS recommends that depopulation and disposal 

activities be completed as soon as possible after approval for indemnity 

payment. That said, identifying a specific depopulation response time 

goal is not an absolute requirement. 

• Assessing possible depopulation and disposal of swine on any farm 

location will require proper planning and resources to ensure health and 

safety of the owner, grower and responders, and proper planning and 

resources will be needed to ensure animal welfare. 

• Depopulation and disposal of Infected Premises or Pigs must be 

conducted in a biosecure manner to prevent further disease spread. 

• Feral swine found near ASF-infected domestic pigs may be depopulated.
ASF Response Strategy

Feral swine

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1. Establish Control Areas around infected feral swine (location 

on the landscape). 

Note: Domestic pig premises in the feral swine Control Area will be subject 

to movement controls.

2. Aggressively conduct thorough epidemiological investigations.

3. Increase separation between feral swine and domestic pigs in 

the Control Area.

• The primary eradication strategy is the stamping-out of infected feral 

swine followed by population reduction. 

• A larger Control Area may be needed depending upon the estimated 

home range of the feral swine. 

• Additional essential activities include strategic population reduction, 

public outreach, targeted surveillance, and surveillance for dead pigs.
Initial ASF Response Actions

Detection in domestic∞ pigs 

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Upon ASFV confirmation in domestic pigs by the National Veterinary 

Services Laboratories (NVSL) Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic 

Laboratory, the Secretary of Agriculture will 

• Take immediate steps to declare an Extraordinary Emergency;

• Issue a 72-hour National Movement Standstill; 

• Authorize indemnity for depopulation of Infected Premises in 

conjunction with APHIS, State, and Tribal animal health officials 

according to the depopulation methods allowed by the American 

Veterinary Medical Association; and 

• Authorize payment for virus elimination at a uniform, flat rate, 

based on the size of the affected premises. 

∞A detection of ASFV in feral swine will not necessarily trigger the listed actions 

unless there is an epidemiological circumstance related to domestic pigs requiring 

such action. 
Initial ASF Response Actions

Coordinated public awareness campaign

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APHIS will establish a Joint Information Center (JIC) to organize, integrate, and 

coordinate information to ensure consistent messaging.

Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) and the USDA Office of Communications 

will invite State, local, and industry communicators to participate. 

In addition to standard messaging regarding human health and food safety, 

APHIS has messaging specifically for producers.
Initial ASF Response Actions

Regulatory movement controls

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A temporary hold order, a quarantine and/or some type of stop 

movement will be immediately issued on a premises by State 

authority, or Tribal authority, upon strong suspicion of ASF on a 

premises. 

• Confirmation of ASF by NVSL is not necessary for States or Tribes 

to implement quarantines and/or movement controls.

• Each State has different quarantine authorities; thus, each State’s 

animal health emergency response plan should describe 

implementation. 

• Due to the highly-integrated swine industry, it will be necessary to 

consider swine networks, which often include interstate 

movements.
National Movement Standstill

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A National Movement Standstill is a complete stop in movement of 

live swine or swine deadstock, interstate or intrastate, 

across the U.S. mainland. Its purpose is to

• Allow States, Tribes, and industry to gather critical information for a 

unified approach to an ASF response.

• Inhibit further virus transmission before effective disease control 

measures can be successfully implemented. 

• It does not include feed deliveries, swine germplasm, or pork and 

pork products.

• Applicable for a detection of ASF in domestic pigs; A detection of 

ASFV in feral swine will not necessarily trigger the listed actions.

• Additional details and the draft Federal Order are posted at the 

FAD PReP ASF site: Declaration of Extraordinary Emergency & 72-

hour National Movement Standstill.
Resumption of Movement

‘Hour 73’

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• Prior to the end of the 72-hour period, at approximately 48 hours, 

APHIS VS will confirm the anticipated end of the standstill order or 

announce any intention to extend it.

• The release of a National Movement Standstill does not mean that 

all movement restrictions have been lifted. States will have issued 

initial quarantines and established Control Areas, as necessary, to 

contain and control disease spread.

• Options for Hour 73 include lifting, partially lifting, or extending 

the Standstill; however, APHIS intends to exempt swine to 

slaughter movements from any extension of the Standstill in Free 

Areas.

• Additional details are posted at the FAD PReP ASF site: Hour 73 

Response Options.
Response: Critical Activities

Sampling & diagnostics

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• Forty-nine National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) 

laboratories are approved for ASF testing to meet diagnostic 

test surge capacity. 

• To aid in sample collection capacity, many states have instituted 

a Certified Swine Sample Collector training program.

– Category II accredited veterinarians will train producers, caretakers, 

and industry partners how to properly collect samples from swine 

for diagnostic and surveillance purposes. 

– Program standards are available at securepork.org.

• Approved sample types include whole blood, tonsil, spleen, 

lymph node, spleen swab, blood swab, dried blood spot. Certain 

sample types can be pooled up to 5 pigs per pen/room/barn.
Response: Critical Activities

Diagnostic testing

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• Confirmatory diagnostic testing will be performed at NVSL’s 

Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL), with 

NVSL’s Diagnostic Virology Laboratory providing support 

during an outbreak. 

• Depending upon the sample type submitted, tests performed to 

determine the presence of ASFV may include 

– agent detection: PCR (3 hour) and virus isolation (14-21 days);

– agent confirmation and characterization: genome sequencing 

(2-4 days); and

– antibody detection: Ab ELISA (2-3 days) and immunoperoxidase 

technique (2-3 days) tests. 

• Currently, individual pig sampling is the only validated method 

to detect ASFV. NVSL is diligently working to evaluate 

aggregate methods, such as rope sampling.
Response: Critical Activities

Surveillance

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• In 2022, APHIS added ASF to its existing classical swine fever 

(CSF) surveillance plan to form a Swine Hemorrhagic Fevers 

Integrated Surveillance Plan.

• Since then, well over 50,000 specimens from various types of 

domestic pig production facilities and slaughter plants have been 

tested for ASF and CSF, all were negative. 

• APHIS is working to further detail parameters of surveillance 

planning for control and eradication of ASF—from day one of a 

response through declaration of disease freedom. 

• As this work progresses, guidance will be posted to the FAD 

PReP ASF site. 
Response: Critical Activities

Zones, areas, and premises designations

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• Unified Incident Command establishes an initial Infected Zone 

and a Buffer Zone when the index case is identified. 

• Zone, area, and premises designations may include 

1) epidemiologically linked Contact Premises that are not all in 

the same or contiguous geographical area; and

2) areas that reflect home ranges of feral swine populations.

• The perimeter of the Control Area should be at least 5km 

beyond the perimeter of the closest Infected Premises or 

Infected Pig.

• The boundaries of the Control Area can be modified or 

redefined when tracing and other epidemiological information 

becomes available. 
Response: Critical Activities

Zones, areas, and premises designations example

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Domestic Pigs

Zones and Areas Premises
Response: Critical Activities

Zones, areas, and premises designations example fs

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Feral Swine

Zones and Areas Pigs*

* The minimum Infected Zone is 3km; however, when multiple pigs are found nearby on the landscape the Infected Zone will 

be adjusted to incorporate all pigs, which potentially can result in a larger Infected Zone.
Response: Critical Activities

Quarantine and movement control

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• By restricting movement of infected swine, swine products, and 

contaminated fomites, quarantine and movement control can aid in 

controlling and eradicating ASF during an outbreak.

• States, Tribes, and APHIS officials must weigh the risk of disease 

transmission against the need for critical movements (e.g., feed) and 

business continuity.

• The Emergency Management Response System 2.0 (EMRS2) is the 

official system of record for permits and permitted movements made 

into, within, and out of a Control Area.

– Specific permits aid in controlling and containing the FAD outbreak for 

infected premises.

– Continuity of business (COB) permits facilitate continued producer 

operations for non-infected premises.

• For more on permits during an ASF outbreak, see Manual 6-0.
Response: Critical Activities

ASF continuity of business permits

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• Implementing a pre-movement isolation period (PMIP)—maintaining 

increased biosecurity on a premises in the days leading up to a swine 

movement—will reduce the risk of disease exposure. 

• A PMIP combined with pre-movement diagnostic testing decreases the 

risk of moving infected but undetected pigs from a premises, 

compared to implementing testing alone. 

(Based on University of Minnesota Secure Food Systems Team’s within-herd (barn) ASF transmission model)

• Specific permit criteria, templates, PMIP and test protocols are posted 

on the FAD PReP ASF site.
Response: Critical Activities

ASF COB permit example, gilt movement

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Testing priority 

1. Dead pigs

2. Sick pigs

3. Pigs in hospital/sick pens

4. General population

Test at 3 days pre-movement and at 1 day pre-movement in a 5-day PMIP

Test all dead swine in each barn up to 31 samples. If testing of dead 

swine does not produce 31 samples for the barn, sample animals in 

accordance with the priority list above to meet the balance.
Response: Critical Activities

3D (depopulation, disposal, decontamination) 

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• Depopulation will be conducted in accordance with the 

American Veterinary Medical Association guidance so that pigs 

are depopulated safely, quickly, efficiently, and humanely as 

possible. 

• Disposal options may be limited. 

– composting may not be feasible with large amounts of biomass; 

– rendering resources may not be available; 

– burial poses significant challenges with environmental 

contamination and given ASFV persistence. 

• Cleaning and disinfection or virus elimination activities should 

focus on eliminating the virus in the most cost-effective manner 

possible.
Response: Critical Activities

3D (continued)

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• 3D options and methods each have their own logistical, 

environmental, or managerial challenges. APHIS, State officials, 

and subject matter experts will collaborate to determine best 

approaches.

 Tools to help evaluate options may be found at www.aphis.usda.gov/fadprep:

 3D Guidance—Option Matrices and Considerations

 APHIS Carcass Management website

For feral swine, a wildlife management plan is developed and conducted 

within local laws and regulations. Management activities to control and 

eradicate ASF in feral swine must be conducted by trained personnel 

proficient in wildlife health, capture, restraint, biosecurity, and humane 

euthanasia. 
Response: Critical Tools

National Veterinary Stockpile (NVS)

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The NVS is in the process of building an inventory of supplies and 

equipment to aid in a response to an ASF outbreak. Available now:

• Diagnostic sampling supplies

• Mobile incinerators

• Electric stunners

• Captive bolt stunners and repair parts

• Manual and automated swine carcass carts

• Carcass bags 

• Grinders

• Portable wash stations

• PPE

• Swine handling equipment, such as hog snares and 

sorting panels
Incident Management

Domestic Pigs Playbook

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This playbook specifies approaches to comprehensive incident 

management for outbreak response in domestic pigs.

1. Effectively manage a coordinated response

2. Box the virus in to reduce transmission between domestic pig 

premises

3. Eliminate the virus on infected swine premises. 

4. Prevent transmission between domestic pigs and feral swine

5. Maintain continuity of business

6. Ensure information flow and management

7. Identify and maintain resource requirements

• For each of the approaches, the Playbook provides Key Principles 

alongside the Resources and Tools that may be employed.

• Additional details will be posted at the FAD PReP ASF site: 

ASF Response: Outbreak in Domestic Pigs: Playbook. 
Incident Management

Feral Swine Playbook

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Similarly, this playbook specifies approaches to comprehensive 

incident management for outbreak response in feral swine.

1. Effectively manage a coordinated response

2. Control the disease and reduce transmission across the 

landscape

3. Quickly identify and report new cases

4. Prevent transmission between domestic pigs and feral swine

5. Ensure information flow and management

6. Identify and maintain resource requirements

• For each of the approaches, the Playbook provides Key 

Principles alongside the Resources and Tools that may be 

employed.

• Additional details will be posted at the FAD PReP ASF site: ASF 

Response: Outbreak in Feral Swine Playbook. 
Additional Response Plans

Meat harvest facilities

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ASF Meat Harvest Facility Response Plans were developed to 

address response needs unique to harvest establishments and 

related industries during an ASF outbreak. 

The plans were developed in 

coordination with APHIS and the 

North American Meat Institute 

(NAMI)-led Slaughter Plant Working 

Group (SPWG) with participation 

from various Federal, State, and 

industry partners. 

Further, in collaboration with the North American Renders’ Association 

and North American Spray Dried Blood & Plasma Producers, the SPWG 

created two additional ASF response plans specific to Off-Site Rendering 

and Spray Dried Blood and Plasma facilities.

The Meat Harvest, Off-Site Rendering, and Spray Dried Blood/Plasma 

facility plans are posted at the FAD PReP site.
Ongoing Initiatives

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Secure Pork Supply (SPS) Plan

• The Continuity of Business Plan provides opportunities to voluntarily 

prepare before a disease outbreak.

• Materials for producers include guidance on 

site-specific biosecurity planning, disease 

monitoring, sample collection, and more. 

US Swine Health Improvement Program (US SHIP)

• The US SHIP, an APHIS-funded pilot project, promotes

certification of healthy swine herds through the 

creation of standards that focus on biosecurity,

traceability, and surveillance principles. 

• Pork producers and packing facilities in participating States (32 as of 

early 2023) are able to enroll in the pilot program on a voluntary basis. 

• Technical standards are in development for “safeguarding, certifying, and 

bettering the health of U.S. swine.” 
Supporting FAD PReP Materials

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Strategic Plans-Concept of Operations Documents

• APHIS Foreign Animal Disease Framework: 

Roles and Coordination (FAD PReP Manual 1-0)

• APHIS Foreign Animal Disease Framework: 

Response Strategies (FAD PReP Manual 2-0)

• APHIS Foreign Animal Disease Framework: 

Incident Information Management and Reporting 

(FAD PReP Manual 3-0)

• APHIS FAD Investigation Manual 

(FAD PReP Manual 4-0)

• Permitted Movement (FAD PReP Manual 6-0)
Resources

• FAD PReP home page: www.aphis.usda.gov/fadprep

• 3D Guidance—Option Matrices and Considerations: 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/carcass/docs/asf-3dsummary-guidance.pdf 

• APHIS Carcass Management website: 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/emerg

ency-management/carcass-management

• African Swine Fever (ASF) 

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal

-disease-information/swine-disease-information/african-swinefever/african-swine-fever

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