For several years Canadian hog producers looked longingly across the border at their American counterparts and the advantages they gained from using Paylean.
The swine feed ingredient, known to improve the gains and feed conversion of finisher hogs, has been commercially available to U.S. producers for six years. It became available in Canada this month.
That put Canadian producers at a disadvantage and underlines the need for improvements in how the country reviews and approves animal health products, said Clare Schlegel, president of the Canadian Pork Council.
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“Paylean’s value has been proven and a number of Canadian producers who finish hogs in the United States have been using this product for a long time,” Schlegel said.
“We’re certainly encouraging improvement in our approval and regulatory process. We feel it’s critical for the future of the Canadian livestock industry.”
Paylean marketer Elanco Animal Health estimates that producers can gain an extra net profit of $2 per hog by using the feed additive, which contains ractopamine hydrochloride.
“Generally, all the major hog producing countries are using it, except for the European Union,” Schlegel said.
Food safety and consumer confidence are of paramount importance to the hog industry, he added, “but we also need a system that is able to do the reviews quickly using scientific data to make their decisions.”
