Traceability is not a new topic for our industry. In 2006, producers voluntarily adopted standards to strengthen our ability to track animal movements with the goal of controlling the spread of animal diseases that could immediately stop U.S. pork exports. Today, the threat of a foreign animal disease reaching the U.S. has never been greater. Our existing traceability system has gaps that need to be addressed. And the swine industry has an opportunity to guide what an improved traceability program looks like.
What Does Traceability Mean for Producers?
Approximately 1 million pigs are in transit every day, giving diseases plenty of opportunities to spread far and wide. An Iowa State University study determined the cost of not having a traceability system in place if the U.S. experienced a foreign animal disease outbreak would be more than $75 billion over 10 years. The impact also would affect other agricultural sectors, including corn and soybean farmers who supply feed to livestock. Traceability supports disease management and plays a significant role in our ability to regionalize – that is, segregate affected areas from disease-free areas – and resume trade.
Producers have tasked the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) with augmenting the existing swine traceability system. An industry Swine Traceability Task Force was convened and is working to address gaps in our traceability capacity and capability. With $7.7 billion worth of pork being consumed by international consumers, we need to assure trading partners that the U.S. can identify disease-free animals and provide them products from unaffected farms. As a pig farmer, I want to underscore the importance of this initiative.
What Does a Traceability System Look Like Today?
The U.S. pork industry has a swine traceability program at both the national (interstate) and state (intrastate) levels. The pork industry is looking to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the existing swine traceability program by addressing:
• Breeding stock – sows and boars – cull animals and show pigs, whose individual movements currently are difficult to track, giving each a unique ID number.
• Premises registration for all producers, cull and breeding operations, and show-pig farms.
• Movement reporting for all pigs to a centralized database that is available to animal health officials.
Make Your Voice Be Heard
Pork producers always step up to do the right thing. This can be another example of producers responding to a need - by voluntarily speaking up to make our industry better. NPPC will use producer input as it works toward a resolution to adopt a final Swine Traceability Standards plan, which will be voted on at the 2024 Pork Industry Forum. If approved, NPPC will submit it to USDA for consideration.
To learn more and to provide input, reach out to invest@nppc.org or your State Pork Association or visit NPPC’s traceability resource hub.
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