Reading Time: 2 minutes If you see blisters around the mouth, hoof, or nose of your pigs, you need to call your veterinarian immediately. Seneca Valley virus, which causes these blisters, is a swine disease that has recently become more prevalent in the U.S. “Seneca Valley virus is a concern because you can’t distinguish it from the really scary […] Read more
Pig producers warned to be on the lookout
Seneca Valley virus is a concern because its symptoms are the same as those for foot-and-mouth
Meat packers desperate for workers despite jump in jobless rate
Farm Vote: There are 1,000 job vacancies at slaughter plants, but Canadians shun them
Reading Time: 2 minutes Despite job losses in other sectors, Canada’s pork industry is still struggling to build a sustainable workforce. “For us in Western Canada, it really comes down to availability of labour,” said Darcy Fitzgerald, executive director at Alberta Pork. “We need to have workers available for us, and often, they’re not Canadian, only because we don’t […] Read more
Biocontainment plan can be a lifesaver during a disease outbreak
The to-do list is a long one in a crisis — and it’s better to have it all set down in writing
Reading Time: 2 minutes No one wants an infectious animal disease outbreak on their farm — but every producer should be ready for one, says an expert on biocontainment plans. “When we get into crisis mode, we tend to forget the important steps and communications pieces that need to be there — by having it all documented ahead of […] Read more
Regulatory wrangling ups the threat of PEDv in Canada
Livestock trailers coming from the U.S. could spread the virus across Western Canada, say pork officials
Reading Time: 3 minutes Washing hog transports in the U.S. before they return to Canada sounds good in theory — but it may actually increase the threat of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus here. “We are extremely concerned about this because essentially we’re going to be sending trailers to be firehose washed at some point in the U.S. where they […] Read more
New swine health network to track animal diseases
Network relies on vets to paint a picture of swine animal health seen in their practices
Reading Time: 2 minutes The newly created Western Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network will help keep producers informed about swine disease monitoring and disease knowledge transfer in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “This is a wonderful system. It keeps people informed about what’s going on in the industry. We’re encouraging all vets to participate,” said Dr. Egan Brockhoff, a swine […] Read more
Making a plan helps alleviate the stress of euthanasia
A detailed, written plan and standard operating practices are better for both the animals and staff
Reading Time: 3 minutes No one likes having to euthanize an animal, but it’s easier with a clear plan and proper protocols in place. Part of that is using “end points” as recommended by Canadian Council of Animal Care, said Craig Wilkinson, a professor and director of animal care for the faculty of agriculture, life and environmental sciences at […] Read more
Crackdown on shipping unfit animals working
The Western Hog Exchange now seeing far less downers, but officials say even a few are too many
Reading Time: 3 minutes A crackdown on shipping unfit animals is paying off, says the chairman of the Western Hog Exchange. “I don’t have the statistics to back it up, but the general consensus is that we have seen a significant improvement in the animals coming to the plants,” Brent Moen said in an interview. The Red Deer hog […] Read more
Pork producers will soon need to use pain medication in routine swine procedures
Pork producers will need to use pain medications for procedures such as castration and tail docking starting in July 2016
Reading Time: 3 minutes Change is coming, but it won’t be huge change nor difficult for pork producers to adopt. Effective July 1, 2016, producers will have to use pain mitigation medication when performing procedures like castration and tail docking. “There are a number of these elective husbandry procedures in the code, and these are painful procedures for pigs, […] Read more
Don’t expect hog heaven in 2015
Analyst Kevin Grier says markets overreacted to PEDv last year, but the current drop in prices is likely overdone, too
Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s been a year since porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) was found in Canada, and the wave of high prices caused by the disease seems to be coming to an end. “Traders seem to think this disease has been licked and is behind us because the pricing now on hogs in futures markets are such […] Read more
Western Hog Exchange to producers: Stop shipping injured animals
Chair Brent Moen says facility will now ‘walk the walk’ on animal care, and that includes cracking down on shipments of sick or injured animals
Reading Time: 3 minutes There’s no doubt in Brent Moen’s mind that Western Hog Exchange staff accused of animal welfare violations behaved inappropriately. “We were talking the talk, but not walking the walk,” said the chairman of the farmer-owned hog facility in Red Deer. “We had a significant disconnect between our procedure manual and actual implementation. We broke six […] Read more
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