Swine Herd Health Status Key to Economic Viability
08 September 2011  Farm-Scape is sponsored by
Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork FarmScape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork. |
The National Swine Biosecurity Training programme, launched earlier this year in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec and being rolled out later this year in the rest of Canada, is based on the national farm level biosecurity standard developed by the Canadian Swine Health Board.
Canadian Swine Health Board chair Florian Possberg is confident the training will be a useful tool for producers to protect their own herds from diseases and, if the programme can be delivered broadly across the country, it will increase our ability to protect the whole nation against disease.
Florian Possberg-Canadian Swine Health Board
I think, for producers, we can see anywhere from a five to ten dollar per animal advantage by having very good or very stable health so, for somebody that's in the business and producing five thousand hogs for example, that's a 25 to 50 thousand dollar advantage per year.
That's often the difference of whether you're viable or you're not viable so anything that we can do to enhance the producer's ability to maintain a good health status really helps their viability.
As well, by rolling this out in a regional and national way, if your neighbor doesn't have disease and he's protecting his herd it provides an opportunity that I'm less at risk.
Even if I'm a good operator with high health if my neighbor is taking care of his health our whole community becomes less susceptible to disease.
So doing this as an industry really has some plusses.
Mr Possberg notes healthy animals are more comfortable and easier to work with and he believes improved biosecurity provides an opportunity to improve the viability of the industry across the country.
ThePigSite News Desk
France, Romania Adjust Pig Populations
25 May 2012Pressure on VION's Profits in 2011
25 May 2012New Livestock Tax Rules in Budget 2012
25 May 2012Govt of Canada Supports Manitoba Hog Industry
25 May 2012Tunisian Feed Production Leaps Forward
25 May 201287M Kg of Pork Smuggled in 2011 into Philippines
25 May 2012International Animal Welfare Systems Adopted
25 May 2012El Nino Risk Rising for Late Summer
24 May 2012Global Meat Production Forecast to Expand
24 May 2012Visit Big Dutchman at World Pork Expo
24 May 2012Genesus Global Market Report - China
24 May 2012
© 2000 - 2012. 5m Publishing, Benchmark House, 8 Smithy Wood Drive, Sheffield, S35 1QN, England.