Written by Colby Ferguson, TPPA Executive Director
Eight representatives from Texas traveled to Bloomington, Minnesota, to participate in the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan (U.S. SHIP) House of Delegates meeting Sept. 2–4. The program is a voluntary livestock health initiative that establishes a national platform for safeguarding, improving, and representing the health status of swine across participating operations. It is a cooperative effort among state, federal, and industry stakeholders designed to enhance the health and marketability of U.S. swine and pork products.
During the three-day meeting, delegates discussed a variety of topics related to animal health, including swine exhibition site biosecurity, feral hogs, and show pig traceability. A major theme was the interest in expanding U.S. SHIP certifications to cover several endemic diseases in addition to the current African swine fever/classical swine fever certification.
U.S. SHIP delegates are made up of producers and swine specialists from all over the country. Individuals from the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC), Texas A&M University, Seaboard Foods, Pig Improvement Company (PIC), and TPPA made up the Texas delegation. There were nine (9) proposed resolutions and two (2) new standards reviewed and voted on. Resolutions and standards to recommend actions to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update and improve the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan.
Several of the resolutions passed will establish working groups to evaluate the potential for introducing a PRV and brucellosis, as well as a Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) and PEDv monitored status certifications. Delegates also passed several resolutions to have working groups look at aggregate samples as possible African swine fever (ASF) surveillance, both inside and outside of a control area.
To better reform the producer enrollment and certification process, a resolution was passed for a working group to review all state programs and establish consistent SHIP standards to ensure consistency for all producers. In addition, a resolution was passed to have a working group review the possibility of creating a proxy voting system for future House of Delegates meetings.
One resolution that did not pass called for the USDA to fully adopt the sampling and testing standards established by previous U.S. SHIP delegate meetings. USDA staff advised against it, explaining that making the regulations too prescriptive would limit flexibility to incorporate new science and technology in the future. The delegates agreed with that reasoning and voted the resolution down.
The delegates’ final actions were to review and vote on two proposed changes to the current standards. The first proposal sought to increase Level 3 testing requirements by adding aggregate sampling in sow farms in addition to existing sow testing. However, the delegates decided against it, noting that since the USDA has not yet approved aggregate sampling as a verified method, it would place unnecessary costs on producers without likely acceptance by OSAs or the USDA. That amendment failed. The second proposal was approved, establishing the sampling and testing requirements needed to grant a PEDv clean classification. This standard could also serve as the basis for creating a PEDv-monitored status in the future.
The U.S. SHIP House of Delegates meeting is an annual meeting held in the first week of September. If any producers have an interest in getting involved with U.S. SHIP, reach out to the TPPA office.