Swine Traceability

Protecting pork’s future, producers’ livelihoods

The impact of a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak threatens the entire pork industry. A single detection in the United States of a reportable disease would immediately stop U.S. pork exports. That’s why enhancing our pre-harvest traceability standards is necessary to improve the way we track live pigs, which will help better control disease spread and ensure you can continue to provide safe, healthy pork to the world.

 

At the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum, delegates voted on a resolution to endorse the enhanced standards.

Swine Traceability Infographic

Updating Standards is Vital

A cohesive national approach is vital

 

Traceability not only supports disease management, but it plays a significant role in our ability to regionalize — segregate affected areas from disease-free areas — an outbreak and resume trade.

 

In 2006, producers voluntarily adopted standards to strengthen our ability to track animal movements.  A producer-led task force has developed enhancements to the existing swine traceability system. Specific recommendations are detailed below:

  1. All swine owners would need to register for a premises identification number (PIN).
  2. High-risk swine (from a traceability perspective), including cull breeding stock and show/exhibition stock, would be required to be tagged with an AIN (animal identification number) RFID (radio frequency identification) tag.
  3. Producers would be asked to record consistent data points, including PIN of origin, PIN of destination, date of movement, animal type and any official identification that is present. They would be asked to record this data electronically, within three business days.
  4. Movement data would be reported to a centralized database following the detection of a trade-limiting disease.
  5. Semen would require a label with the PIN of the source herd.
  6. Cull markets and packing plants are to use tattoo numbers unique to each facility.

Final Draft of the Swine Traceability Program Standards

Final Draft Standards

Review the final draft of the Swine Traceability Program Standards below. Industry delegates voted on the Swine Traceability Program Standards resolution at the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum. NPPC will submit the standards to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for consideration.

 

Important dates:

 

January 2024:  NPPC Animal Health & Food Safety Policy Committee accepted the recommendations

 

March 5, 2024: Vote on final draft at the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum

 

April 2024: NPPC submits standards to USDA

 

2027: Expected Implementation

Swine Traceability Program Standards

Swine Traceability Program Standards: by and for pork producers.

Facts That Matter

Detection of a FAD would threaten the nation’s pig herd and close export markets for U.S. pork, having a negative impact on the overall farm economy.

In 2022, the U.S. exported more than $7.6 billion in pork and pork products to over 100 counties – nearly a quarter of U.S. pork production.

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