June 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department is working to remove Mexican restrictions on importing breeding swine that were imposed due to the detection of a deadly piglet virus that is spreading across rural America.
A spokeswoman for the department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said on Thursday the agency has sent Mexico information requested in connection with the outbreak of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, a swine virus deadly to young pigs never before seen in North America.
She did not state what information had been requested.
On Tuesday, Mexico said that concerns over the virus prompted it to restrict imports of live hogs from the United States. The virus had spread to 199 sites in 13 states in the United States in a matter of a few weeks, according to the latest data compiled from veterinarian diagnostic labs investigating the outbreak.
Imports of U.S. hogs would be reviewed on a case by case basis, said Mexico's Agriculture Ministry, which also said the virus has not been detected in Mexico. The action does not affect shipments of U.S. pork to Mexico, only live animals. (Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
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