BANFF, Alta. — There’s probably a protest aimed at improving animal rights or animal welfare, somewhere in Canada, every day. Livestock producers and transporters are sometimes challenged to deal with them. The best way, and in Geraldine Auston’s view the only way, is to always do the right thing. She said that means handling animals […] Read more
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Move from gestation stalls no silver bullet
BANFF, Alta. — Thirty-five years ago, animal welfare considerations led to sows being housed in gestation stalls. Sows received individual care, there was no fighting among them and more live piglets were produced compared to previous production methods. Today, views on animal welfare have changed and hog producers have to comply with them, said Dr. […] Read more
Start hog housing transition at ground level, says expert
BANFF, Alta. — There are pitfalls when converting sow barns to open housing systems, and producers can learn from those who have already trodden the path. Canadian sow barns that haven’t yet converted to open sow housing are mandated to do so by July 2024, as required in the code of practice for the care […] Read more
Open sow barns need good people in place
Moving from pen gestation barns to open housing raises the bar in terms of skills needed by the ideal manager
BANFF, Alta. — Think like a pig. And a single word for thinking like a pig, at least in an open sow barn setting, is stockmanship. Dr. Tom Parsons was a hog farmer before he became a veterinarian and professor in swine medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He told those at the Banff Pork […] Read more
U.S. meat group says COOL is doomed
BANFF, Alta. — The head of the National Pork Producers Council is convinced the United States will lose its final attempt to defend mandatory country-of-origin labelling at the World Trade Organization. Howard Hill, an Iowa producer and veterinarian, also believes some form of labelling on retail meat is unavoidable. “We do realize today that there […] Read more
Quick response key to PED control
Same day diagnosis | Swift lab analysis in Canada’s first case put control efforts into action
BANFF — Veterinarian Doug MacDougald had been optimistic about Canadian producers’ ability to manage porcine epidemic diarrhea before its discovery on a southwestern Ontario hog farm was announced last week. And while he remained positive late last week as news spread of the country’s first case of PED, he warned that the Canadian industry is […] Read more
