Industry fundraising has reached the crucial halfway mark in its target to establish a national chair in swine welfare.
Sandra Edwards, professor and chair of agriculture at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, has been selected to fill the position.
Edwards has worked in research for 30 years and has won numerous awards. She has also served as senior adviser on industry and government advisory groups.
Edwards brings research and on‐farm experience in the areas of nutrition, applied behaviour and health management. A sample of her research can be found at www.prairieswine.com.
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She will be a keynote speaker at the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium in Saskatoon in November.
Earlier this month, she was the keynote speaker at a sustainable food management summit in Guelph, Ont., where she shared her experience and perspectives on setting and implementing animal welfare standards as well as emerging issues and perspectives in Europe.
The proposed swine welfare chair position has been gaining momentum.
Six provincial pork associations and four pork processors have committed to the five-year program to develop a team of researchers focusing on swine welfare.
The chair application will soon be submitted to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council as an industrial research chair.
That program, which benefits industry development of applied and early discovery research, provides 50-50 matching funds to the industry for approved research programs.
For more information, contact Prairie Swine Centre president Lee Whittington at 306‐667‐7447 or Lee.whittington@usask.ca.
