September 25, 2006

USDA expands National Poultry Improvement Programme

The US Department of Agriculture Friday (Sep 22) announced an interim rule that expands the National Poultry Improvement Programme (NPIP), a voluntary cooperative federal, state and industry programme designed to prevent the spread of poultry diseases in commercial poultry operations.

According to a USDA release, the expansion of the programme conforms with international animal health guidelines.

Under the interim rule, the USDA will provide 100 percent indemnity for specified costs associated with eradication of H5 and H7 low-pathogenic bird flu at commercial poultry operations that participate in the NPIP, the release said.

The USDA said it will only offer 25 percent indemnity for costs associated with eradication at commercial facilities that choose not to participate in the active surveillance portion of this programme. In previous H5 and H7 detections, indemnification was often handled by states, and the provisions varied.

While low-pathogenic bird flu poses no risk to human health, USDA's policy is to eradicate H5 and H7 subtypes because of their potential to mutate into highly pathogenic bird flu, which has a high mortality rate among birds.

International animal health standards now require countries to report all H5 and H7 detections, so the programme expansion will help ensure that the US complies with international standards by encouraging testing and providing financial incentives to report detections, the release said.

The programme also aims to proactively minimise the potential trade impact on US producers by reiterating the agency's commitment to transparency on any detection of the H5 or H7 virus among bird populations in the US.