Source:Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 11/11/3

Major U.S. sow packers and processors will start using U.S. Dept. of Agriculture-approved premises identification number (PIN) swine tags as a condition of sale for breeding stock, effective Jan. 1, 2015, according to the National Pork Board.

The move is expected to help improve surveillance and traceability systems to protect the animals as they move through processing channels, National Pork Board President Karen Richter said in a statement.

She also encouraged producers who currently do not use official PIN tags to register their locations at www.pork.org/PINtag. The tags are customizable with or without a management number and can be ordered in a variety of colors.

The board identified such packers as Johnsonville, Bob Evans Farms, Hillshire Brands, Pioneer Packing and Abbyland Pork Pack among nine companies that to date will be required to use the PIN tags in January 2015.

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