It appears we have finally reached a suitable resolution to the issue involving the issuance of Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVIs) to weaned pigs born into a herd participating in a herd health plan that requires an accredited veterinarian to inspect the health status of the herd every 30 days. As you recall, a federal Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC) had questioned the practice of issuing a CVI for interstate shipment of weaned pigs moving out of a production flow without actually inspecting the individual pigs even though the herd participated in a herd health plan as described in the Code of Federal Regulation (CFR).
After much discussion, Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator, USDA-APHIS, issued a Veterinary Services Notice in August instructing the AVICs to allow accredited veterinarians to issue a CVI to weaned pigs born into a herd participating in a recognized herd health plan without further inspection following the third routine 30 day herd health visit. The VSN, however, also pointed out that the CVI must accurately reflect the actions of the veterinarian. Most CVIs contain a printed statement that implies or indicates that the animals referenced on the CVI have actually been inspected by the accredited veterinarian. This poses an inconsistency with the policy recognized by USDA and signing a false form would be grounds for regulatory action.
To address the issue of issuing a CVI that accurately reflects the actions of the veterinarian, AASV went before the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials (NASAHO) during their annual meeting on October 25 in Greensboro, NC to make them aware of this situation. AASV requested that the assembly consider allowing accredited veterinarians to write an additional statement on the CVI that would explain that the herd was inspected within the last 30 days and not necessarily the weaned pigs referenced on the CVI. The assembly members unanimously approved this request.
The assembly did not suggest any official wording but the intent is to inform the receiving state animal health officials and recipients of the pigs about the actual inspection procedures. I would suggest the following wording or something similar: "The herd from which these pigs originated was inspected within the last 30 days. The weaned pigs referenced on the CVI were either resident in the herd at the time of the herd inspection or were born since the last inspection to dams which were resident in the herd at the time of the last visit and would thus have been inspected."
As a reminder, this issue only involves pigs shipped outside an established production flow as defined in the CFR. Pigs moving within a production flow or in compliance with an Interstate Movement Report (IMR) are not affected by this interpretation. An IMR is an agreement between the state animal health officials involved and the producer to allow for the routine movement of pigs within an established production flow. The shipment and recordkeeping requirements are negotiated between the parties involved and normally allow for the ongoing shipment of pigs without the issuance of a CVI.
AASV wishes to thank Dr. Sam Holland, President of the NASAHO and Dr. John Clifford for their willingness to consider a resolution to this important issue.