People may think they know what it takes to make a pig comfortable and as happy as pigs are capable of being.
But do they? Or are people simply projecting their own ideas of comfort onto swine?
Answers to that and other questions involving pigs are behind a current push to establish a national chair in swine welfare to be based at the University of Saskatchewan.
The candidate to occupy the chair, Dr. Sandra Edwards, has already been chosen and fundraising efforts continue toward raising half of the $2.5 million needed over five years to finance the position.
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“It is designed to bring new resources to the whole question of swine welfare,” said Prairie Swine Centre president Lee Whittington.
If industry commits half the cost to establish the chair, it will be matched by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).
The goal is to have producers, packers and retailers commit one-third of the cost each, totaling at least $1.25 million.
“That would drive the message home that this is a shared issue,” said Whittington, adding that producers have already proven supportive of the plan.
All provincial swine organizations except two have committed to chair establishment, and the remaining two are expected to confirm soon.
Between them, producers have committed more than $500,000 and five packer-processors have committed $250,000.
Whittington said with those two sectors on board, retailers will be approached next. Given that many are seeking to assure customers of animal welfare in food production, he said he is hopeful retailers will be receptive.
“If we are successful getting all these players up and down the value chain, this will be an entirely unique scenario,” he said.
“It’s never happened before.”
Research will be conducted at the Prairie Swine Centre, which is the university’s research arm.
Edwards, who still lives in the United Kingdom, has been meeting with groups within the Canadian industry for about a year. The professor of agriculture at Newcastle University has an extensive resume involving swine research and animal welfare.
Whittington said the research will focus on objectively measuring pig welfare in a range of practical on-farm situations.
