Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 2/1/19



The National Pork Producers Council, National Pork Board and USDA are calling on U.S. pork packers to participate in an effort to collect samples for trichinae aimed at proving that the U.S. pig herd is trichinae-negligible in order to expand access to foreign markets.

In a paper published Friday afternoon, the pork groups said the data is needed in order to comply with new global standards used to define negligible risk in swine. NPPC NPB worked with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to make the standards “science-based and fair.” 

“[W]ithout data from a sampling program, the United States could be vulnerable to a challenge at the World Trade Organization, which could jeopardize all our chilled pork shipments,” former APHIS administrator Bobby Acord wrote.

NPPC has secured funding with APHIS to test 3.1 million samples for trichinae each year for two years (6.2 million samples total). USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) will conduct and manage the testing, and NPPC has secured agreement from APHIS to pay for the testing. The only cost to U.S. packers under this program is the labor to collect the samples, Acord emphasized.

“The combination of change in international standards and funding by APHIS for sample testing has created a rare, one-time opportunity to address the Trichinae issue at the least cost to the industry,” he wrote. “The end benefit is that the U.S. pork industry will be identified as negligible risk for Trichinae which will eliminate the ability of other countries to impose costly mitigations or outright block importation of U.S. chilled pork. U.S. pork will be able to reach more, lucrative international markets.”

U.S. packers simply need to sign up for the Trichinae Surveillance Program through NPPC or NPB and collect samples. APHIS will cover all other costs for shipping materials, testing and so forth.

NPPC will assure continued USDA funding of sample testing and political support for the testing program. Along with NPB, NPPC will provide general program oversight and work with USDA and the testing facility to assure quality of testing process and address any issues during the testing phase. We will also report back to U.S. packers regarding progress and results.

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