USDA Proposes To Expand
Identification Requirements
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Tomorrow, the U.S. Department
of Agriculture will propose to
require identification of all swine
in interstate commerce in order to
make it easier to trace the source of
diseased animals or those with
drug or chemical residues. Assis
tant Secretary of Agriculture for
Marketing and Inspection Services
Kenneth A. Gilles said.
“A nationwide identification
and traceback system would lead
to improvements in the safely of
the food supply as well as animal
health,” Gilles said. “It would pro
vide the mechanism for tracing the
source of contaminated food as
well as the information necessary
for pinpointing and correcting ani
mal health problems. It also would
benefit pork production by
enhancing disease control to
reduce losses.”
G illes added that support for this
concept has been broad; it includes
Congress and consumer, scientific
and industry organizations. The
National Academv\>f Sciences, in
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a 1985 report on federal meat
inspection, listed an animal identi
fication system as one of the com
ponents of an optimal inspection
program. The concept also has
been endorsed by such groups as
the American Meat Institute and
the National Pork Producers Coun
cil. Congress, in legislation
enacted in 1986, asked USDA to
evaluate livestock traccback.
Under the proposed rule, USDA
would expand its requirements so
that anyone handling swine in
interstate commerce-from the
farm to the meat plant-would have
to identify the animals and main
tain records on that identification
for two years.
“Such a system would facilitate
efforts to eradicate diseases by
making it possible to trace move-
mcnls of infected swine and thus
locate sources of infection,” Gillcs
said. In addition, under the prop
osed system, when USDA inspec
tion of hogs at slaughter revealed a
contamination problem, USDA
could locate the site of the problem
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and work with producers to con
tain and eliminate the problem.
Without a comprehensive sys
tem, investigations are time
consuming and costly to state and
federal agencies. “The proposed
requirements would increase effi
ciency and protect the public
health,” Gilles said.
The proposal would require that
each hog be identified individually
or by lot if it was raised, marketed
and sent to slaughter from a farrow
(birth) to finish operation. Pork
producers would have to use iden
tification methods- such as ear
lags or tatoos-includcd in the
proposal or could seek approval of
other methods from the deputy
administrator of Veterinary Ser
vices in USDA’s Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
According to the proposal, writ
ten records would have to be kept
on all swine in interstate commer
ce at each site where hogs from one
source are mixed with hogs from
other sources. The records would
have to be kept for two years and
WILLOW STREET Final
plans have been made for the 75th
anniversary Pennsylvania Hols
tein Convention, being held this
week at the Willow Valley Family
Resort and Convention Center,
February 23, 24 and 25.
Activities will get undcrwayjust
after lunch on Tuesday with lours,
and will conclude Thursday morn
ing with an awards breakfast.
In between, there will be busi
ness, fun and entertainment, with
full days for convention goers.
Tuesday night’s sale will get
underway with entertainment at
6:00, and the sale beginning at
7:00 p.m. at the convention center,
and featuring 60 of Pennsylvania’s
finest cows.
Juniors will have a full day of
activities, with Dairy Bowl and
be available to USDA officials
during normal business hours.
Under the proposal, if a federal
ly inspected slaughterhouse did
No matter what your bus
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Holstein Convention
Begins Tuesday
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Dairyman !s competition taking
place throughout the day.
Wednesday will feature the bus
iness meeting, the ladies program
and a banquet with the singing
group Re-Creation presenting the
entertainment. After the banquet a
benefit auction is being held to
raise funds for a junior scholarship
fund. Along with a painting of
Osbomdale Ivanhoe by Steve Kin
ney, there are embryos, semen
from many bull studs, paintings for
the home and a quilt created by
Rcba Yoder and Mary Jane
Stoltzfus.
Throughout the convention,
there will be a dairy bar offering
refreshments, and a room filled
with memorabilia of the past 75
years of Holstein activities, along
with commercial exhibitors.
not comply with identification
rules, USDA inspectors could
order that swine carcasses be
retained at the plant until laborat
ory tests confirmed the meal’s
wholcsomeness.
In fiscal year 1986, more than
77 million hogs were slaughtered
under federal inspection.
Two USDA agencies are
involved with this proposal
because it concerns the control of
disease in farm animals, the safety
of the meat supply and the trans
port and sale of swine. Participat
ing agencies are the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service,
which is charged with preventing
or controlling disease in animals
raised for food, and the Food Safe
ly and Inspection Service, which is
responsible for inspecting meal
and poultry to ensure safety.
The proposed rule change is
scheduled to be published in the
Feb. 3 Federal Register. Com
ments, an original and two copies,
must be sent by April 4 to Steven
B. Farbman, assistant director,
Regulatory Coordination, APHIS,
USDA, Room 728 Federal Bldg.,
6505 Belcrest Rd„ Hyattsville,
Md., 20872.
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