The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) submitted comments on codifying the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan (US SHIP) as a federal regulatory program under USDA. US SHIP is a national industry-driven voluntary program to establish health certifications for foreign animal diseases (FADs) including African swine fever (ASF) and Classical swine fever (CSF).
“US SHIP is a top priority for us,” Chase Adams, NPPC assistant vice president for domestic policy said at the Ohio Pork Congress. “Now that final rule is out, we need to make sure US SHIP has the resources needed to stay afloat.”
US SHIP would allow U.S. pork operations to obtain certification that they are free from FADs. Similar to the National Poultry Improvement Plan, these certifications could be referenced for interstate commerce and international trade. The plan’s components include traceability of animals, feed biosafety, farm biosecurity, feral swine mitigation, disease surveillance and transportation sanitation.
“US SHIP can serve as a platform for safeguarding, improving and certifying the status of swine health. It will be an important tool for demonstrating that pork operations are free of disease, which can expedite the resumption of trade following an FAD outbreak,” NPPC said in a release.
While administered by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), US SHIP is designed to be an industry, state and federal partnership. APHIS would be advised on swine health and disease management matters by a committee of pork producers and other industry and state animal health participants.
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