Traceability is not a new concept, says National Pork Board chief veterinarian Dusty Oedekoven. Back in the days of the pseudorabies eradication program in the 1990s and early 2000s, many states had robust traceability systems in place. Once the disease was eradicated, traceability systems were not uniformly maintained at the state and federal level.
“Momentum for a national traceability system beyond that time surged for a few years around the discussion of a multi-species National Animal Identification System (NAIS), but then waned due to concerns primarily raised by the cattle industry,” Oedekoven says.
USDA promulgated the Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) rule effective in 2013, which requires a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) for all pigs moved interstate. However, Oedekoven says little progress has been made since.
Until now.
Producers have tasked the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) with augmenting the existing swine traceability system. An industry Swine Traceability Task Force is working to address gaps in U.S. traceability capacity and capability.
NPPC will collect feedback through 2023 and will present the “Swine Traceability Standards” resolution at the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum. Producers will then vote on the resolution. If approved, NPPC will submit to USDA for consideration.
Producers can provide feedback through Oct. 27 here.
Oedekoven, along with Michigan pork producer Joe Dykhuis, Iowa pork producer Alan Wulfekuhle and veterinarian Clayton Johnson share their perspectives on what traceability is and next steps producers should take.
How would you define traceability?
JD: Having accurate, timely records of all pig movements between premises that is trusted and available to relevant decision makers.
CJ: Understanding the movement of something during its course of development, in addition to knowledge of source materials, ingredients and supplies throughout a supply chain.
DO: The term “traceability” is often used in similar, but different contexts, including traceability of food (farm to fork) and individual animal identification. But specific to the current discussion on mandatory traceability for the swine industry, we refer to traceability as the ability to locate groups or individual animals that have moved within the production chain. For animal health purposes, traceability is limited to animals and genetic material, and does not include traceability of products beyond the harvest facility. Traceability involves knowing where animals are housed or kept, when they are moved and recording movement data where animal health authorities have access to the records in the event of a disease outbreak.
AW: My simple version is where an item came from and where it is now. The more complicated version demands knowing exactly what it is that the State/Federal Animal Health Official and/or customer needs to know to make an informed decision. It varies from a decision as big as one that could help save our industry to a decision as small as one that could help sell a package of bacon.
When it comes to traceability, what do pork producers need to do?
JD: This is an issue the industry has known about for at least 20 years, and we haven’t properly addressed it. Our industry has also proven through failures in antibiotic residue and Seneca Valley virus investigations that we don’t have effective traceability. The industry needs to finish the job of creating a traceability standard that we will all implement and follow. I’ve sometimes chastised senior members of the industry for not solving this issue before now. Each one of them says something about how big this challenge is and how hard they have tried. No producers want to have to deal with this, but doing it now is better than being told how it’s going to be done at a time when pigs are dying, no animals are moving and we have no exports. Let’s not defer this any longer.
CJ: Be aware of both regulatory requirements as well as revenue opportunities from both state/federal agencies as well as their customers.
DO: First, be sure you are following existing Animal Disease Traceability regulations. Federal rules require pigs moving interstate must be accompanied by a CVI, with exemptions like movement to slaughter. The state veterinary authority in the state of destination is the best source of information about what is required for movement of pigs into that state. Second, make sure you have a premises identification number (PIN), and that your contact information associated with your PIN is current. Only a few states now require premises registration, but having a PIN number may also be required for marketing purposes. Be sure to keep information updated. Your state veterinarian’s office can provide more specific guidance about PINs. Finally, consider signing up for an AgView account, which is the Pork Checkoff-funded database securely holding pig movement data until the account owner grants permission to share it with the state animal health official when necessary to respond to an FAD. Entering your data directly, or connecting existing databases such as MetaFarms, RabApp, among others, to AgView ensures your movement information is ready to be shared.
AW: Utilize AgView. The National Pork Board has spent many years to develop it. With AgView, producers can view, on a geo-spatial map, all movements coming from a site and quickly provide the information to the people they want to see it. It is an amazing system. Many producers are utilizing it already with over 10,000 movements per week being recorded.
Read More:
Traceability is the Missing Link, Pork Producer Says
Show Pig Industry Gathers to Discuss ASF Prevention and Preparedness
