Interest in Trucker Quality Assurance Training Continues Strong
05 August 2005  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. |
Farm-Scape, Episode 1877
Sask Pork says, with the Mitchell's Gourmet Foods trucker quality assurance deadline fast looming, interest in the program continues to run strong.
Introduced by the US based National Pork Board in 2002, Trucker Quality Assurance, or TQA, is a trucker training program designed to enhance the welfare of transported pigs.
In response to the announcement by Mitchell's Gourmet Foods that it will require drivers delivering to its plants to be TQA certified by September 1st, Sask Pork began offering TQA training in April.
Producer Services Manager Harvey Wagner says, once people have a better understanding of the pig's behavior, it becomes much easier to work with the animals.
Handling pigs can be a challenging thing to do.
Pigs are rarely cooperative and people frequently mistake their lack of cooperation for just being difficult and that's really not the case.
Most of the time it's out of fear.
They're very unsure of their surroundings and when they go to a new place they have to figure out what's happening.
If you can think that the pig is trying to figure where he's going, what they're doing, rather than just being difficult it sure changes your attitude and your perspective for the pigs.
People just enjoy working with pigs more if there's not this battle.
If they're not fighting with the pigs, if they're working with the pigs and using the pig's own psychology and their instincts to move the pigs it's just so much better for the people as well.
It's a more enjoyable process for the pigs and for people.
Wagner says interest among all segments of the industry, including the truckers, the farms and the colonies, has been strong.
He says just over 300 people received TQA training during May, June and July and another four to five more courses will be offered before the September 1st deadline.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.
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