(NAFB.com) – U.S. pork producers tasked the National Pork Producers Council with leading an effort to update the existing swine traceability system. NPPC wants swine producers, veterinarians, cull swine and breeding operators, and show pig enthusiasts to comment on the draft standards by October 27. “Approximately one million pigs are in transit every day, giving diseases plenty of opportunities to spread,” says Scott Hays, NPPC president and Missouri pork producer. “With the growing threat of a foreign animal disease reaching the U.S., the need to address gaps in our existing traceability system is important for our farms and industry.” International markets would close immediately if a foreign animal disease were discovered in the U.S. “With $7.7 billion worth of pork being sold to international consumers, we need to assure our trading partners that we can identify disease-free animals and provide products from unaffected farms,” Hays adds. For more information, go to nppc.org/trace.