Category Archives: USDA

The Senate this week passed a fiscal 2010 agriculture appropriations bill which must now be reconciled in a conference committee with the House version passed in early July. Lawmakers are expected to work out differences in their respective bills during their August recess.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has begun a series of meetings with government agencies, state animal health and public health officials as well as pork industry associations to share its plans and recommendations in the event of a positive diagnosis of Type A H1N1 in the U.S. swine herd. The plans were developed in close collaboration with the U.S. pork industry.

The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has clarified the actions to be taken by its inspection personnel regarding the disposition of fatigued swine in the processing facility.

Upon receiving information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Office of Inspector General (OIG) began conducting an investigation into the alleged actions of employees at the Department’s laboratories in Ames, Iowa, involving the use of veterinary credentials to purchase medications for human use so that other employees might be provided with low-cost prescription drugs.

The USDA implemented a classical swine fever (CSF) surveillance program in 2006 designed to verify freedom from CSF in U.S. swine and facilitate early detection should the virus be introduced into the U.S. The agency recently offered an update on the level of testing conducted in 2008.

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).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adding “swine contractors” to the list of regulated entities subject to specific regulations issued under the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 (7 U.S.C. 181-229). The Act is enforced by the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA).

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is amending its regulations to establish a voluntary trichinae certification program for U.S. pork. While Trichinella is extremely rare in the United States, APHIS’ voluntary certification program is designed to enhance the ability of producers to export pork and pork products overseas. The European Union and other foreign markets require Trichinella testing for all imports of fresh pork and fresh pork products.

The Grain, Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) will hold three Town Hall meetings in October on the 2008 farm bill and its likely effects on the swine and poultry industries.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report detailing a study they conducted to examine the ability of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to effectively regulate Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs).