In response to the growing threat from foreign animal diseases (FADs) including African Swine Fever (ASF), representatives from the National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board identified six ASF preparedness priorities for industry. Among them -"develop a plan to regain export markets" – which will require improvements to our ability to trace live hogs.
The swine industry has historically supported mandatory pre-harvest traceability and prioritizes addressing the gaps in the current system.
Key areas of focus include:
- Movements to slaughter, including cull channels
- Intra-state movements
- Speed at which movement data is available
- Premises Identification Numbers (PINs) across all segments of the industry
Read more about this issue here.
In the fall of 2022, industry convened a swine traceability task force to evaluate the current traceability system and identify opportunities to address gaps. From this effort, a document titled "Swine Traceability Standards" is now available for review. Please provide comments and encourage your clients to review and provide comments.
You are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Anna Forseth with feedback on these draft standards or with questions : aforseth@nppc.org. NPPC will be collecting feedback through October 2023.
NPPC plans to ask producers to vote on the Standards at the 2024 Forum (March). If approved, NPPC will submit to USDA for consideration. .