---
kind: "section"
citation: "7 U.S.C. § 3801"
title: "7"
title_heading: "Agriculture"
number: "3801"
heading: "Congressional findings and declaration of purpose"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/7/3801"
units:
  - "Chapter 69 — Swine Health Protection"
---

# §3801. Congressional findings and declaration of purpose


The Congress hereby finds and declares that—

- (1) raw [garbage](/usc/7/3802.md?p=2) is one of the primary media through which numerous infectious or communicable diseases of [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) are transmitted;
- (2) if certain exotic animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, African [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) fever, hog cholera, and [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) vesicular diseases, gain entrance into the United States, such diseases may be spread through the medium of raw or improperly treated [garbage](/usc/7/3802.md?p=2) which is fed to [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6);
- (3) African [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) fever, which is potentially the most dangerous and destructive of all communicable [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) diseases, has been confirmed in several countries of the Western Hemisphere, including the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Cuba;
- (4) [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) in the United States have no resistance to any of such exotic diseases and in the case of African [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) fever there is a particular danger because there are no effective vaccines to this deadly disease;
- (5) all articles and animals which are regulated under this chapter are either in [interstate or foreign commerce](/usc/7/499a.md?p=b-3) or substantially affect such commerce, and regulation by the [Secretary](/usc/7/3802.md?p=1) and cooperation by the [States](/usc/7/3802.md?p=4) and other jurisdictions as contemplated by this chapter are necessary to prevent and eliminate burdens upon such commerce, to effectively regulate such commerce, and to protect the health and welfare of the people of the United States;
- (6) the interstate and foreign commerce in [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) and [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) products and producers and consumers of [pork products](/usc/7/198.md?p=4) could be severely injured economically if any exotic animal diseases, particularly African [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) fever, enter this country;
- (7) it is impossible to assure that all [garbage](/usc/7/3802.md?p=2) fed to [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) is properly treated to kill disease organisms unless such treatment is closely regulated;
- (8) therefore, in order to protect the commerce of the United States and the health and welfare of the people of this country, it is necessary to regulate the treatment of [garbage](/usc/7/3802.md?p=2) to be fed to [swine](/usc/7/198.md?p=6) and the feeding thereof in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–468, § 2, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2229.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Short Title

Pub. L. 96–468, § 1, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2229, provided: “That this Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Swine Health Protection Act’.”