Nearly eight years since the inaugural mission to Italy by the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to scrutinize Swine Vesicular Disease (SVD) control systems in Umbria and Tuscany, the Federal Register has at last announced the formal expansion of APHIS-recognized SVD-free zones. This paves the way for the export of Tuscany and Umbria-produced cold cuts to the USA.

Though Swine Vesicular Disease was eradicated across Italy by 2019, US regulations stipulate that recognition of third-party countries’ disease-free status hinges on a risk assessment conducted by APHIS. Following a rigorous evaluation, US authorities have deemed Tuscany and Umbria ‘SVD-free,’ crediting Italy’s robust surveillance, prevention, and control measures as effective deterrents against disease introduction via imports.