Jamaica Unfairly Bans U.S. Pork

Background

Jamaica bans U.S. pork imports based on unfounded concerns that pseudorabies (PRV) from the United States could be transmitted to Jamaica’s domestic swine herd. Since 2003, the U.S. commercial swine herd has been free of PRV. Furthermore, there is no scientific evidence that PRV can be transmitted to domestic livestock through imported pork. On this widely accepted basis, the United States has continued to export pork to countries considered PRV-free even when it had a PRV outbreak. No major U.S. trading partner restricts trade based on PRV.

Because of Jamaica’s unfounded PRV concerns, its government bans U.S. pork imports that have not been hermetically sealed. But the Jamaican government never has provided an official definition of “hermetically sealed” pork. Consequently, gaining approval from Jamaican customs officials for import licenses of hermetically sealed pork is unpredictable. More recently, Jamaica has voiced concerns about U.S. pork related to porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED). The United States has had limited outbreaks of PED, as have many other pork-producing nations. There is no scientific justification for PED-related import restrictions on pork products since there is no risk of conveying the disease through trade. Jamaica is the only country in the world that imposes PED-related restrictions on U.S. pork.

The swine herds in the United States and Canada have the same high levels of health, yet Canada can export fresh and frozen pork to Jamaica and the United States cannot. The U.S. pork industry strongly supports a science-based approach to trade and the opportunity to compete on a level playing field with countries of the same commercial swine herd health status.