How to Get NPIP Certified

The National Poultry Improvement Plan, also known as the NPIP, is a national program that improves poultry and poultry products at the industry, state and federal levels. The NPIP establishes standards for evaluating poultry and hatchery products to ensure they are free of certain diseases, such as pullorum, avian flu, typhoid and salmonella, and safe for international and interstate shipment. Poultry producers and raisers that become NPIP certified are better able to participate in the sale and transport of eggs, chicks and adult birds. To become NPIP certified, a poultry farmer must follow several steps.

Instructions

• 1

  Contact your official NPIP state agency and tell them you want to become an NPIP participant. Get in contact by telephone, through the mail or by email. Check the resources section of this article for a 2011 listing of the NPIP agency contact information for every state.

• 2

  Make an appointment for your poultry to be tested for disease. All states require testing for at least three diseases: pullorum, avian flu and typhoid. Some states designate an official tester to test your poultry, while other states require you to purchase testing equipment and learn to test your own poultry. Still others require only a certificate from your veterinarian. Find a listing of state testing requirements and costs in the resources section below.

• 3

  Pay the fee for the testing or purchase the testing equipment, if applicable. The fee varies according to your state.

• 4

  Wait for your results after your flock has been tested. If your poultry is disease-free, your farm will be submitted to the NPIP registry.

• 5

  Watch for your NPIP forms booklet and instructions to arrive in the mail. These forms will indicate that you are a participant in the NPIP program. When you begin selling poultry and poultry products, fill out one form per shipment according to the instructions you receive.

• 6

  Repeat the testing process every year to maintain your NPIP certification. All fees are also due yearly.