The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to eliminate the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program and remove the regulations associated with the program from the Code of Federal Regulations, according to a USDA release.
This program generates little producer participation and this action would allow APHIS to direct resources to areas of greater need, USDA said in a release.
The U.S. commercial swine herd is free of trichinae, parasitic nematodes (roundworms) found in many warm-blooded carnivores and omnivores, including swine. USDA said that extremely limited participation in the voluntary program has caused some confusion with trading partners over the trichinae-free status of U.S. pork products.
USDA believes eliminating the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program will benefit the swine industry by reducing this confusion, but seeks comments on this proposal on or before May 3, 2021. This proposal is on display in the Federal Register.
Beginning on March 3, comments may be submitted by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS-2020-0065 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2020-0065, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.
Read more from Farm Journal’s PORK:
U.S. Pork Industry Takes Steps to Safeguard Future Trade Opportunities
