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Jim Rogers (301) 734-0603

Jim Brownlee (202) 720-4623

**USDA PROPOSES A VOLUNTARY TRICHINAE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM**

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2007\--The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service is proposing to establish a
voluntary trichinae certification program for U.S. pork.

Because farm management practices, biosecurity and farm hygiene have
improved significantly over the last 50 years,
*[Trichinella]{.underline} [spiralis]{.underline}* is rare in the United
States and is not currently required as part of a testing program in the
United States. The European Union and other overseas markets, however,
require testing for all imports of fresh pork and fresh pork products.
The proposed voluntary certification program for the United States would
ensure that American producers standardize their protocols and offer
overseas markets a USDA certification as to the
*[Trichinella]{.underline} [spiralis]{.underline}* protections in place
at U.S. farms without having to test every animal and every product.

*[Trichinella]{.underline} [spiralis]{.underline}* is a parasitic
roundworm found in many warm-blooded carnivores and omnivores, including
swine. Transmission from one host to another only occurs by the
ingestion of infected muscle tissue. The primary vector for
*[Trichinella]{.underline} [spiralis]{.underline}* in swine is the
consumption of raw meat waste and, in some cases, the consumption of
rodents or other animals.

Under the proposed program, APHIS would certify pork production sites
that follow good production practices to reduce, eliminate or avoid the
risk of exposure of animals to *[Trichinella]{.underline}
[spiralis]{.underline}*. Good production practices include feed
integrity (such as source of feed and feed storage) and facility
construction and condition as it pertains to biosecurity.

The proposed voluntary certification program will enhance the ability of
producers to export pork and pork products to overseas markets. This
proposed program was developed as a cooperative effort by USDA, the
National Pork Board and the pork processing industry.

Notice of this proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the May 16
*Federal Register*.

Consideration will be given to comments received on or before July 16.
Send an original and three copies of postal mail or commercial delivery
comments to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0089, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118,
Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238. If you wish to submit a comment using the
Internet, go to the Federal eRulemaking portal at
[http://www.regulations.gov](http://www.regulations.gov/), select
"Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service" from the agency drop-down
menu; then click on "Submit." In the Docket ID column, select
APHIS-2006-0089 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting
and related materials available electronically.

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Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and may also be
viewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th St. and Independence
Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C., between 8 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., Monday
through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment
reading room, please call (202) 690-2817.

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