USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program effective Oct. 25. APHIS will also remove the regulations associated with the program from the Code of Federal Regulations.
The U.S. commercial swine herd is free of trichinae, which are parasitic nematodes (roundworms) found in many warm-blooded carnivores and omnivores, including swine. The limited participation in the voluntary program has caused some confusion with trading partners over the trichinae-free status of U.S. pork products, APHIS said in a release.
“This program generates little producer participation, and this action is intended to benefit the swine industry by reducing possible confusion about the trichinae-free status of exported products,” APHIS said in a release. “Eliminating the program will benefit the swine industry by reducing this confusion.”
Elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program allows APHIS to direct resources to areas of greater need such as foreign animal disease prevention. APHIS will no longer hold training for qualified accredited veterinarians, on-farm audits, or any other administrative process associated with program maintenance and support.
View the Federal Register notice here.
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