National Poultry Improvement Plan

Illinois List of Certified Poultry Testers

For those producers who need to have their initial or annual Pullorum-Typhoid test completed, please click on the link above for a list of certified testers. If you are interested in becoming a certified poultry tester for Pullorum-Typhoid email us at agr.npip@illinois.gov. Include your full name, email address, phone number, and county of residence. 

NPIP Member Enrollment Form

If you are enrolling in NPIP for the first time, fill out the enrollment form and email it to us at agr.npip@illinois.gov. 

The National Poultry Improvement Plan was established in the early 1930s by a State-Federal-Industry partnership to coordinate State programs aimed at eliminating Salmonella Pullorum from commercial poultry. The program was later extended to include testing an monitoring for other poultry diseases. The program currently offers testing and monitoring for:

• Salmonella Pullorum (causative agent of Pullorum disease)
• Salmonella Gallinarum (causative agent of Fowl Typhoid)
• Mycoplasma Gallisepticum
• Mycoplasma synoviae
• Mycoplasma meleagridis (for turkeys)
• Avian Influenza

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare serves as the Official State Agency (OSA) for the administration and oversight of the NPIP program in Illinois.  These duties include interstate commerce, import/export, disease surveillance, testing, permitting and disease response planning activities.  

Who can/should participate in the National Poultry Improvement Plan?

NPIP currently includes commercial poultry and hobbyist poultry facilities. Poultry that can join the program include chickens, turkeys, waterfowl (ducks, geese, and swans), pheasants, quail, peafowl, guineas, chukars, grouse, ostrich, emu, rhea, and cassowary. 

Participation in NPIP is voluntary, however, the Illinois Poultry Inspection Act (510 ILCS 85/2.1) states "No hatching eggs or poultry, except poultry for immediate slaughter, shall be bought, sold, or transported within, or imported into the State unless the hatchery or flock or origin is a participant in the National Poultry and Turkey Improvement Plans for the eradication of pullorum and fowl typhoid, or is following a program officially approved by the Department."

Being a member of NPIP allows greater ease in moving hatching eggs and live birds within the state, across state lines, and to other countries.  Most states will not allow poultry products unless they come from an NPIP participant.  

Who develops the standards and management provisions?

The technical standards and management provisions of NPIP have been developed as a joint effort by industry members, state governments, and federal officials. The standards are described in title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations in part 145 and 146. Additional subparts are used to distinguish what type of birds or business model you have. 

What are the requirements for becoming a member of NPIP?

Flocks being added to the program, at a minimum, have to show freedom from S. Pullorum and S. Gallinarum. Once this base test is completed and freedom from disease is demonstrated, other classifications may be available. All requirements can be found in Title 9 CFR parts 145 and 146. The Illinois Department of Agriculture, as the Official State Agency (OSA) administers the NPIP program and will administer the program for your birds. 

How do I become a member of NPIP in Illinois?

For initial enrollment in the plan, a certified poultry tester will test all of the adult birds  (4 months of age and older) in your flock for Salmonella Pullorum-Typhoid up to a maximum of 300 birds. A Bureau of Animal Health, Animal and Animal Products Investigator or field veterinarian will meet with you to complete a Hatchery/Flock Agreement.  After the flock agreement and testing have been completed and reviewed by the Bureau, a NPIP flock number will be issued for the flock.

Once in the program, the flock owner may move, show or sell birds for a year. To remain in the program a flock owner must have a portion of their flock tested once a year for Pullorum-Typhoid. A list of private authorized poultry testers in Illinois is available for a flock owner to contact to do their annual flock test. A flock can be removed from the program for failure to have their flock retested in a timely manner.

To begin enrollment, please complete the fillable pdf NPIP Enrollment Form ​and submit it to the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare at agr.npip@illinois.gov. One of our staff will contact you once we receive the form. 

The NPIP Biosecurity Audit process is completed by the OSA for large poultry producers who are:

• Commercial table egg layer premises with over 75,000 birds
• Commercial broiler premises that raise more than 100,000 broilers annually
• Commercial meat-type turkey premises that raise more than 30,000 turkeys annually
• Raised for release upland game bird/waterfowl premises that raise more than 25,000 birds annually

These biosecurity measures are intended to be the basic management practices needed to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases. These premises must have a written biosecurity plan in place as of 9/20/2020 which has been audited and rated as satisfactory. Producers without an audit will not be eligible for USDA APHIS VS indemnity or compensation funds in the event HPAI is detected in poultry on any of their premises.  To find out more information call the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare at (217) 782-4944 or email us at agr.bahw@illinois.gov.