NPPC Looking for Direction on USDA’s New PED Tracking Rules

Apr 28, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says it’s seeking more information about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) reporting guidelines to monitor the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) virus.

The USDA announced that it would be implementing a new policy requiring mandatory reporting of PED cases.

In addition to reporting efforts, the USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford says that the industry needs to continue to keep up with its on-farm efforts to keep the disease from spreading further.

Reporting cases of PED does not mean stopping the movement of pigs, but the USDA’s main goal is to be able to work with producers and their attending veterinarians to make sure that the best animal care practices are being maintained to slow the spread the disease.

While the USDA announced its new reporting requirements, the industry is still awaiting more details on how to implement the rules. NPPC’s Chief Veterinarian Dr. Liz Wagstrom calls the USDA’s approach “encouraging” but says the industry is concerned about the implementation of the program and ramifications of reporting a positive case of the virus.

More details about the tracking program are expected within the next two to three weeks.

Video: Canada reaches tariff deal with China on canola, electric vehicles

Canada has reached a deal with China to increase the limit of imports of Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) in exchange for Beijing dropping tariffs on agricultural products, such as canola, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday.

The tariffs on canola are dropping to 15 per cent starting on March 1. In exchange for dropping duties on agricultural products, Carney is allowing 49,000 Chinese EVs to be exported to Canada.

Carney described it as a “preliminary but landmark” agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs, part of a broader strategic partnership with China.