Veterinary officials in Alberta are now investigating the province’s first-ever outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. Alberta Pork, the province’s hog producer commission, and the provincial government on Tuesday announced an outbreak of the viral disease at what was described as a “400-head hog operation.” Javier Bahamon, quality assurance and production manager for […] Read more
PEDv arrives in Alberta hogs
Pork producers need to be on guard for African swine fever
The disease is ravaging herds in China and Europe, and could come here through infected feed ingredients
Reading Time: 3 minutes African swine fever hasn’t been found in North America, but pork producers still have reason to be concerned. “If we get it, we cannot control the spread and the whole population will be destroyed by it,” said Javier Bahamon, quality assurance and production manager with Alberta Pork. “Pretty much the whole population of animals needs […] Read more
Price plunge spells disaster for Alberta hog farmers
Demand is strong, Canadian packers are short 70,000 hogs weekly, but prices have plunged
Reading Time: 5 minutes A crash in prices — fuelled by Washington’s tariff war — could spell the end for many of Alberta’s dwindling number of hog operations. The sector has already lost half of its hog farms in the past decade and with producers losing $50 on every animal they ship, more are looking at throwing in the […] Read more
Is your farm prepared for a disease emergency?
New booklets lay out the threats to dairy, hog, and cattle operations and offer a blueprint for being ready
Reading Time: 3 minutes The first thing the Canadian Animal Health Coalition did after receiving a grant to better prepare for animal disease emergencies was to see if producer organizations had a crisis plan. The results weren’t encouraging. “We surveyed 130 organizations, all industry associations at different national and provincial levels across the country,” said Matt Taylor, one of […] Read more
Alberta Pork website gets a revamp
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Pork has launched a new version of its website. In addition to information and recipes for consumers, the website offers answers to questions such as, ‘Why are most pigs raised indoors?’ and whether added hormones are found in pork. It has also numerous resources for producers. This includes information on animal care, traceability, biosecurity, […] Read more
Big uptake for more humane euthanasia device
Producers rush to acquire non-penetrating bolt stunner after Alberta Pork pilot project
Reading Time: < 1 minute A pilot project promoting a more humane euthanasia device has resulted in its widespread adoption in the Alberta hog sector. “This more humane method of euthanasia is now well accepted and is being used,” said Javier Bahamon, manager of quality assurance with Alberta Pork. “Today, 30 per cent of Alberta’s sow herd is covered. Now […] Read more
When challenged by consumers, challenge yourself, says expert
Sure, producers should defend what they do when they’re in the right — but they should work to raise the bar when they’re not
Reading Time: 3 minutes When defending agriculture’s social licence to operate, stop making excuses and start raising the bar. “It amounts to excuses — the stories we tell ourselves,” said Mark Bosworth, a leadership consultant at KESA, an Alberta company with clients ranging from businesses and government agencies to NHL teams. He cited a number of common responses when […] Read more
New PED threat ‘a crisis moment,’ says Alberta Pork
Prairie pork boards say swine trailers coming from U.S. must be washed and disinfected here
Reading Time: 2 minutes Not requiring hog trailers coming from the U.S. to be washed and disinfected at certified Canadian wash sites is a “a crisis moment for the Canadian swine industry,” says Alberta Pork. The organization joined its western Canadian counterparts in a last-ditch effort to persuade the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to extend a federally approved trailer-wash […] Read more
Yearning for a taste of home leads to big things for transplanted Albertans
Reading Time: 4 minutes A sense of adventure brought Alan and Nicola Irving from England to Canada — and a yearning for a ‘back home’ taste set the stage for their made-in-Alberta success story. Irvings Farm Fresh’s sausage, hams, and most of all, tasty bacon has made the operation a hit in Edmonton’s farmers’ market scene and with chefs […] Read more
Funding available for swine biocontainment plans
Alberta Pork’s biocontainment plan will help the swine industry control disease in an outbreak situation
Reading Time: 3 minutes To minimize the impact of serious disease on the swine industry, Alberta Pork has a new biocontainment plan that is available for all swine producers. The biocontainment program was launched in conjunction with Growing Forward 2 last month and provides Alberta swine producers with $600 to develop a biocontainment plan with the help of their […] Read more
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