NPPC DELEGATES APPROVE DISEASE AND DRUG PROGRAMS

  Delegates from the National Pork
  Producers Council, NPPC, yesterday approved programs for
  control and eradication of pseudorabies and establishment of a
  national safe drug use program.
      The delegate body, attending the American Pork Congress in
  Indianapolis, approved a pseudorabies control and eradication
  program at the state level after a recommendation from NPPC's
  PRV (pseudorabies virus) oversight committee.
      The PRV committee received results of a three year, five
  state pilot project which had a 97.5 pct success rate in
  eradication of the disease within 116 hog herds. The project
  was jointly funded by the USDA and NPPC.
      "Primarily it (the program) allows individual states to
  deal with their own problems according to a timetable that
  suits them best," Mike Wehler, member of the NPPC's PRV
  oversight committee said.
      In regards to safe drug use, the delegates approved a plan
  asking that NPPC be active in establishing a national safe drug
  use program.
      The program would establish better relationships between
  producers and veterinarians and eventually lead to a quality
  assurance program in pork production, according to the plan.
      "This program basically communicates to the FDA that we are
  concerned about safe drug use and will do our part to use drugs
  safely, if FDA will allow the same policy to continue in
  effect," Wehler said.
  

