Speaking at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, NPPC Board member Bob Dykhuis said that pork producers across the US have shown their support for an animal identification system.

And about 90 per cent of producers are committed to an animal ID programme.

However, he said that if the agricultural appropriations bill is not passed, the funding of around $5 million will be passed forward to another year and there will simply be a maintenance programme on animal ID instead of moving it forward.

He said that anything that could be done to fight disease would help the industry and the NPPC is backing its progress.

Mr Dykhuis added that some of the traceability requirements of the senate bill have been withdraw, but he warned that they could come back onto the statute books.

And he expressed concern that a provision that would include traceability requirements from slaughter to the final package could involve huge added costs.

As for the ID system, he said the NPPC is working with the USDA on a surveillance system, and he added that the industry is trying to work on long-term different strategies funded by different sources.

"We have safe food. The system is working," he said.