National Pork Producers Council Statement On Hybrid Flu And Pork
“Pork is safe to eat, and direct contact with swine is not the source of, and U.S. pigs have not been infected with, the hybrid influenza that has been identified in a number of people in the United States and more than 1,300 in Mexico.
“NPPC wants to assure domestic and global consumers about the safety of pork and urges pork producers to tighten their existing biosecurity protocols to protect their pigs from this virus, including restricting public access to barns.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
People cannot get the hybrid influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, including the H1N1 virus, are not spread by food.
There are no food safety issues related to the hybrid flu that has been identified, according to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano. Preliminary investigations have determined that none of the people infected with the hybrid flu had contact with hogs. “This virus is different, very different from that found in pigs.”
The hybrid virus is spread by human-to-human transmission.
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 27, 2009 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to reiterate to a public concerned about a hybrid influenza outbreak that pork is safe to eat.
“Eating properly handled and cooked pork or pork products is safe,” said USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack in a statement issued this morning. “I [want] to reassure the public that there is no evidence at this time showing that swine have been infected with this virus. “ According to scientists at USDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swine flu viruses are not transmitted by food, so you cannot get swine flu from eating pork or pork products.”
On Thursday, the CDC said humans cannot contract from eating pork the hybrid influenza that has infected more than 20 people in the United States, more than 1,300 in Mexico and a number of people in several other countries. At a Sunday White House briefing, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano said there are no food safety issues related to the current flu virus.
The National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board also are assuring domestic and global consumers about the safety of pork and are urging pork producers to tighten their existing biosecurity protocols to protect their pigs from the virus, including restricting public access to barns. In a related matter, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) today named the virus that has been identified in those infected the “North American” flu. According to a Reuters story, the OIE said the flu virus spreading around the world should not be called “swine flu” because it also contains avian and human components and no pig yet has been infected with it.
Alternative Breeding and Gestation Management Course set for Morris
An Alternative Breeding and Gestation Management Course will be April 27-28 at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, Morris. This course is designed to increase participants understanding of the factors necessary to successfully breed females and to care for them during gestation using non-conventional production practices.
Cost is $100 per person and includes learning materials, meals, breaks, instructor fees and biosecurity clothing for hands-on training sessions. Additional participants from the same production system or farm may register for $50 each. Overnight lodging is the student’s responsibility.
Course topics include rearing replacement females, breeding systems, pregnancy management, preparing for parturition and hands-on sessions. Alternative Breeding and Gestation Management offers an exceptional educational opportunity for pork producers to improve their daily production practices, fine-tune details to improve production, increase animal well-being and reduce costs, and to investigate alternative production systems.
Classroom instruction will be from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 27 and hands-on instruction in the swine research facilities will be from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 28. Registration is due April 20.
To register, go to www.mnpork.com and click on the producers link or telephone the Minnesota Pork Board at 1-800-537-7675.
For more information contact U of M Swine Extension Educator, Dr. Mark Whitney at (507) 389-5541. The course is sponsored by the Pork Checkoff, Minnesota Pork Board and U of M Extension Swine Program.
Murphy-Brown LLC announced that it will complete Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) certification training and farm site assessments of all its company-owned and contract grower-owned swine production operation managers and farms in the United States before the end of 2009.
In December 2008, Hormel Foods also formalized its support of the industry's pork safety, antimicrobial use and animal well-being program by announcing that it would require its producer suppliers of pork to be PQA Plus-certified and have their sites assessed under PQA Plus. Hormel also will require that all who transport hogs to its plant be certified in Transport Quality Assurance® (TQA).
As of April 6, over 26,000 pork producers in the United States had received PQA Plus certification. The number of sites that have received PQA Plus site status also is growing. Over 16,600 individuals have been certified in TQA.
"Thousands of responsible pork producers from around the nation have demonstrated their commitment to the health and well-being of the animals in their care, and to providing a safe and wholesome product to their customers by participating in PQA Plus," said Erik Risa, manager of education programs for the Pork Checkoff. "We are excited that the momentum behind the program continues to build."
At the recent Pork Industry Forum in Dallas, Texas, pork producer delegates attending the meeting voted overwhelmingly in support of PQA Plus. "Participating in PQA Plus by getting PQA Plus-certified and by having an assessment of animal well-being practices conducted on their farms is another way pork producers can demonstrate to the industry's customers that they do the right thing on their operations every day," Risa said. "We anticipate that recent announcements of support of the program by participants in each segment of the pork supply chain will be the drive behind more producer participation."
PQA Plus is the industry's flagship pork safety, antimicrobial use and animal well-being program. The program demonstrates to customers, consumers and the public that the pork industry is committed to the responsible production of safe and wholesome pork product. More information on PQA Plus can be found online at pork.org.
Pork Act Delegates Overwhelmingly Support Pork Quality Assurance Plus®
Reaffirming their commitment to the U.S. pork industry and its customers, Pork Act delegates at the recent National Pork Industry Forum passed two resolutions dealing with Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) participation.
The first resolution titled PQA Plus participation stated that Pork Act Delegates (excluding exporters) as individuals commit to promptly complete PQA Plus certification, and conduct on-farm assessments of each site, and have all employees who are involved in hands-on production complete the age appropriate PQA Plus program and are strongly encouraged to complete all assessments and certifications by Pork Forum 2010.
The second resolution titled PQA Plus participation stated that all pork producers participate in age-appropriate PQA Plus programs and achieve site status.
“These resolutions reflect the pork industry’s renewed commitment to social responsibility and accountability,” said Tim Bierman, a certified PQA Plus and site assessed producer from Iowa and a member of the National Pork Board. “By producers becoming PQA Plus certified and achieving PQA Plus site status, our customers can have the confidence in the safety of our product and the husbandry practices that producers employ as they care for their animals.”
Also during the recent National Pork Industry Forum, 42 producers attended PQA Plus training. The training was open to all delegates who had not yet been certified in PQA Plus.
“Producers have the tools available to them to show our customers that we are doing the right thing and that we are accountable for our actions,” said Bierman. “The actions taken by the Pork Act delegates send the message that we as an industry are committed to producing pork responsibly.”
Pork Checkoff Offers Pork Management Conference Your Pork Industry Investment
The Pork Checkoff is offering the 2009 Pork Management Conference, Your Pork Industry Investment, May 6-8, in Fort Myers, Fla.
“The Pork Checkoff provides this conference for pork producers, including anyone involved in the management, accounting or finances of an operation, as well as consultants and lenders,” said Ron Schoo, chairman of the Pork Checkoff’s Producer Services Committee and a pork producer from New Um, Minn. “This Checkoff-funded conference offers the most up-to-date production and financial information that affects the pork industry today.”
During the conference, participants will learn about topics such as emerging food trends, credit analysis, U.S. agriculture outlooks, global trade and more from several pork industry professionals. Three concurrent sessions are planned for Thursday. Topics include managing employee benefit costs, real life production budgeting, hedge strategies, business interruption, GAAP update, production targets, tax update, A-Z nuts and bolts on pork production and worker safety/OSHA.
The registration fee for the Pork Management Conference, Your Pork Industry Investment is $395 per person and $435 per person after April 24. The first 10 pork producers that have not attended in the past two years receive a $300 discount on registration courtesy of AgStar Financial Services. A brochure with a registration form and a detailed list of events is available on pork.org. Request a copy be mailed to you by calling Sharlotte Peterson at 515-223-2614.
