Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

09/23/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/23/2021 09:02

APHIS Eliminates the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program

Published: Sep 23, 2021

Contact:
[email protected]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is eliminating the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program and removing the regulations associated with the program from the Code of Federal Regulations. 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.

Eliminating the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program allows APHIS to direct resources to areas of greater need. APHIS will no longer maintain any activity associated with the program, such as training for qualified accredited veterinarians, on-farm audits, or any other administrative process associated with program maintenance and support.

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. However, extremely limited participation in the voluntary program has caused some confusion with trading partners over the trichinae-free status of U.S. pork products. Eliminating the program will benefit the swine industry by reducing this confusion.

In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on March 3, 2021, APHIS proposed to eliminate the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program. APHIS received five comments by May 3, 2021 from individual commenters without institutional affiliations supporting the proposed rule.

This action will be effective on October 25, 2021. The Federal Register notice may be viewed at Federal Register :: Public Inspection: Elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America's food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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