Pig Code Development Committee Addresses Controversial Issues

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Pig Code Development Committee Addresses Controversial Issues

29 May 2012

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CANADA - The National Farm Animal Care Council's Pig Code Development Committee hopes to have a revised Pig Code of Practice in place by next summer, writes Bruce Cochrane.

The National Farm Animal Care Council’s Pig Code Development Committee, made up of pork producers, practicing veterinarians, swine researchers and representatives of government and animal welfare organizations, is revising the Pig Code of Practice.

The code, which in some provinces is actually written into regulation, outlines minimum standards for the care of swine and was last updated in 1993.

Committee Chair Florian Possberg acknowledges members have had to deal with some controversial issues, including sow housing and the use of gestation stalls, painful procedures such as castration and tail docking as well as space allowance in putting together an initial draft.

Florian Possberg-Pig Code Development Committee

We've had quite a number of meetings where we've tried to deal with really the sensitive issues.

We've collected research data as to really what research tells us about various things.

We've come up with some ideas of where we think the Canadian position should be.

We're taking this out to various stakeholders on a very limited basis, a confidential basis, so that if we need to change our position we can still do that.

We are in that process now of consulting with key stakeholders and getting their reaction and we'll use that information to further fine tune what will go into our draft.

Mr Possberg says the committee is dealing with tough issues and we do know there's a wide variety of opinions so it's important that we strike the right balance.

He expects the draft to be ready for public review this summer, it will be revised based on stakeholder input and the goal is to have a new code ready for publication by June or July of next year.