U.S. pork producers and processors are being encouraged to consider being certified under the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan.
Last week, as part of World Pork Expo 2022's Pork Academy, the goals eligibility criteria and benefits of the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan were highlighted.
Dr. Tyler Holck, the Senior Program Coordinator of U.S. SHIP, explains the intent is to create technical standards that center on disease prevention and demonstrate freedom of disease in support of animal health, commerce, and trade in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak.
Clip-Dr. Tyler Holck-U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan:
We've been asked to pilot a program for the swine industry similar to what the poultry industry has had for over 85 years.
On the poultry side it's called the National Poultry Improvement plan.
It basically provides a national playbook for issues related to health for the poultry industry that helps with interstate movement and actually with international trade and we're trying to build a pilot program to eventually become USDA program for swine similar to poultry.
This is a pilot.
It's been in place for about a year and a half and we currently have 28 going on 30 states that are participating in this pilot.
A producer or a packer in any of those states could enroll and be certified under this program.
The initial requirements are based around biosecurity, traceability and surveillance.
The idea behind NPIP, the model we're going after, is that it's industry, state and federal partners together.
Industry would represent producers and that would be all kinds of producers from large production companies to independent producers to show pigs..
It would also include packers and processors as well.
From a state standpoint it would be state animal health officials and from the federal standpoint it's with the USDA.
Dr. Holck encourages producers to visit usswinehealthimprovementplan.com for details on the program and to consider being certified.
Source : Farmscape.ca