UEP urges members to be vigilant in implementing biosecurity plans for 2019, comparing existing plans with the National Poultry Improvement Plan’s (NPIP) 14 biosecurity principles to determine compliance.  This includes retraining employees on these principles and working with the NPIP official state agency throughout this process.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a final rule on August 14 outlining the conditions under which USDA will pay an indemnity to farms affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).   It includes updates to USDA’s February 2016 interim rule.  This final rule did three very important things:

• Requires auditable biosecurity plans to be in place for larger-sized operations to receive indemnity payments.
• Adopts biosecurity principles established by the National Poultry Improvement Plan).
• Allows indemnity payments to be split between poultry and egg owners and their contracted growers and provides a formula for the split.

In the final rule, USDA addressed concerns about the interim rule raised by stakeholders, including whether self-certification of biosecurity was adequate.  As a result, USDA now requires audits to ensure large poultry facilities practice optimal biosecurity.  The NPIP, a cooperative state, federal and industry program for controlling poultry diseases, developed the set of 14 biosecurity principles and they now serve as the minimum biosecurity principles for poultry operations.

A facility that meets the minimum size requirements must have an auditable biosecurity plan.  To be eligible for HPAI indemnity, the plan must address all 14 biosecurity principles in compliance with NPIP requirements.  Please contact UEP staff if you have any questions concerning biosecurity plans and implementation.