STATEWIDE, ARK. – The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Division will host annual Pullorum – Typhoid (PT) testing schools for commercial poultry producers and individual members of the public in April and May.
NPIP schools license individuals to test birds for Salmonella bacteria species, and review other areas of importance in raising backyard and commercial poultry in Arkansas. a cooperative program between federal and state agencies and the poultry industry, developed for The NPIP program is controlling significant poultry diseases.
Licensing through NPIP Private Testing Schools enables individual members of the public to blood test their own backyard birds, as well as other individuals' birds. They also license individuals for testing at fairs, shows, flea markets, and other points of sale. Find a NPIP Private Testing School schedule, here.
Commercial NPIP Testing Schools are held exclusively for employees of poultry companies, and enable them to blood test commercial flocks. Most poultry companies in Arkansas are members of the NPIP Program, and complete regular testing and surveillance of flocks. Find a NPIP Commercial Testing School schedule, here.
“For many years our staff has offered professional training programs through the National Poultry Improvement Plan as part of our commitment to the health and marketability of Arkansas’s poultry industry,” says Livestock & Poultry Commission Director, Patrick Fisk. “Poultry testing schools cover NPIP program testing and includes lectures on important poultry diseases and biosecurity practices as well as updates to the National Poultry Improvement Plan program and Arkansas poultry regulations.”
The NPIP Private Testing Schools are especially important to private backyard flock owners, and others who own non-commercial poultry. Private poultry owners are required to either have 90-Day Certificates issued for flocks or be active members of the NPIP Program in order to exhibit or sell birds publicly, or to move birds interstate and beyond. Private poultry owners looking for licensed poultry testers who have completed Private Testing Schools in the past should look, here.
Learn more about the National Poultry Improvement Plan, and participating agencies, here. Learn more about the NPIP Division in Arkansas, here.
The Arkansas Agriculture Department is dedicated to the development and implementation of policies and programs for Arkansas agriculture and forestry to keep its farmers and ranchers competitive in national and international markets while ensuring safe food, fiber, and forest products for the citizens of the state and nation. Visit www.aad.arkansas.gov.
Source: Arkansas Agriculture Department
