AASV news

AASV award nominations

Do you know an AASV member whose dedication to the association and the swine industry is worthy of recognition? The AASV Awards Committee requests nominations for three awards to be presented at the upcoming AASV annual meeting in San Diego. The awards are:

Swine Practitioner of the Year. Given annually to the private practitioner (AASV member) who has demonstrated an unusual degree of proficiency in the delivery of veterinary service to his or her clients.

Howard Dunne Memorial Award. Given annually to an AASV member who has made a significant contribution and rendered outstanding service to the AASV and the swine industry.

Meritorious Service Award. Given annually to an individual who has consistently given time and effort to the association in the area of service to the AASV members, AASV officers, and the AASV staff.

Nominations are due December 15. The nomination letter should specify the award and cite the qualifications of the candidate for the award. Submit to: AASV, 902 1^st Avenue; Perry, IA 50220–1703; Fax: 515-465-3832; E-mail: aasv@aasv.org.

Update on the USDA interpretation of the “30-Day Rule”

The USDA has reviewed the regulations governing the timing of veterinary inspections prior to the interstate shipment of pigs and provides an unfavorable interpretation. If you are issuing Certificates of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) to ship pigs interstate outside of a production system, you need to be aware of this interpretation.

The USDA has interpreted the regulation regarding this issue such that animals born into the herd since the last routine herd health visit will have to be individually inspected prior to the issuance of a CVI if the animals are being shipped out of an officially recognized production flow.

The AASV has formally requested that the USDA reconsider its interpretation of the rule requiring animals covered under a veterinary health plan that are shipped interstate outside of a recognized production system to be individually inspected prior to shipment.

At issue is the current interpretation, which requires that animals born on a farm since the veterinarian’s last visit be individually inspected even though they are less than 30 days old. Even though the farm participates in a health plan that involves herd visits every 30 days by an accredited veterinarian, pigs born since the last visit must be personally inspected by the veterinarian prior to issuance of a CVI under the current interpretation.

The AASV, along with the American Association of Bovine Practitioners and the American Association of Avian Pathologists and with the backing of the National Pork Board’s Swine Health Committee, sent a letter to Dr Ron DeHaven, USDA APHIS Administrator, requesting that they reconsider the current interpretation and allow veterinarians participating in a recognized Herd Health Plan to issue a CVI to animals born on the farm since the last 30-day visit without the burden of an additional inspection.

The current rule requires that the animals be individually inspected within 10 days of issuing a CVI, which is then valid for an additional 30 days. In practice, this means that a veterinarian can inspect the animals without any further knowledge of the remainder of the herd and the animals can then be held at the farm prior to shipment. It is the opinion of the AASV that animals born on the farm assume the health status of the herd, and the health status can be better assessed through the adherence to the guidelines put forth in a routine Herd Health Plan where the veterinarian is inspecting the entire herd every 30 days. The USDA, while not rejecting the argument, has denied the request for reconsideration and is adhering to its current interpretation.

Thus, the AASV will pursue wording changes in the Code of Federal Regulations to accommodate our concerns that the current interpretation is unnecessary to protect the health of US livestock and adds unnecessary burden and costs to veterinarians and producers. This process, which will involve the passage of a resolution at the October meeting of the US Animal Health Association, may take as long as 2 years to complete. In the meantime, USDA plans to enforce their interpretation of the regulation thus subjecting veterinarians found to be out of compliance to potential regulatory action.