On-Farm Food Safety Certification

1. On-Farm Food Safety Certification Trichinae Herd Certification Dr. Dave Pyburn National Trichinae Coordinator USDA, APHIS, VS

2. Influences on the Prevalence of Trichinella in U.S. Pigs • 1953-1962 – Enactment of garbage cooking laws aimed at CSF (hog cholera) and vesicular exanthema • Reduction of waste feeding operations • Movement of U.S. pork industry to increased biosecurity on operations

4. Pre-Harvest Certification • Based on production of pigs under management practices which minimize the risk of exposure of pigs to Trichinella • Uses written records and third party auditing to document on-farm good production practices • Is supported by regular testing of certified animals to verify the absence of infection and USDA oversight

5. Life Cycle of Trichinella spiralis

7. Risk Exposure to meat waste containing infective larvae. Exposure to infected rodents. Exposure to infected wildlife. Cannibalism. Intervention Proper cooking of all meat containing waste. Documented rodent control program. Biosecurity to eliminate exposure to wildlife. Prompt removal of dead pigs. Interventions to Reduce or Eliminate Risk of Pig Exposure to Trichinella

8. Program for Certification of Trichinae Safe Production • Educational materials are distributed describing the requirements for certification. • Producer and herd veterinarian work together to implement/document good production practices which reduce risk of exposure to trichinae.

9. Program for Certification of Trichinae Safe Production • At the request of producer, trained and accredited veterinarian conducts an audit which is submitted to USDA. • Based on the audit: • Farm receives USDA certification and pigs may go to slaughter with a trichinae-safe designation; or • Report summarizes deficiencies which must be addressed prior to certification.

10. Program for Certification of Trichinae Safe Production • Certified pigs go to slaughter with trichinae-safe certificate. • Certified pigs are processed separately from non-certified pigs. • Regular testing of certified pigs is conducted with samples collected at slaughter. • Spot audits are conducted on a random sub-set of certified farms.

11. Flow of Events in Certification Producer Requests Program InformationAccredited Veterinarian Requests  Qualification Information Producer Assesses Good Management  Practices and Makes Changes as Veterinarian Receives Training and Necessary is Awarded Qualification Status  Producer Requests Program Application    Through QAV or QVMO    Audit is Conducted and Application Filed  with Appropriate Fee    Program Status Decision  Program Status Granted  Made by APHIS  Program Status Denied  by APHIS and Production   Site can Market Animals Producer Works with their Herd  as Trichinae Certified if in Veterinarian or QAV to Implement      Stage II or III GPPs Necessary to Achieve  Program Status (Continued on Next Page)

12. Flow of Events in Certification  Certified Animals (Stage II or III Program Status) Enter Marketing Channels with TIN Number; Animals are Identified through Sale and Slaughter by Identification or Segregation  Packer Verifies the TIN Number when Receiving Animals for Processing; Carcasses are Tracked through the Slaughter and Fabrication Processes; FSIS Monitors Packer Records of Certified Animals  Blood or Tissue Samples are Collected from a Subset of Certified Animals for Testing by Digestion or ELISA by Plant Personnel on a Monthly Basis  FSIS Monitors Results of Testing and Reports any Positive Results with Site Trace Back Information to APHIS  Loss of Program Status by an Production Site is Immediately Communicated to Producer by APHIS and to the Packer by the Producer, and Entered into the Trichinae Certification Status Database Accessible Via the Internet  Periodic Auditing of Certified Sites and Spot Audits (APHIS) Assure Maintenance of Good Production Practices, Audit Integrity, and Program Consistency