Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Play Audio Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1177

Manitoba Pork Council says, regardless of the type of production system in use, auditable on farm animal care guidelines will strengthen Canadian swine welfare initiatives. The Canadian Pork Council is developing auditable animal care guidelines that could be included as a voluntary component of the Canadian Quality Assurance program.

The proposed animal welfare audit is intended to utilize the existing CQA structure for auditing food safety while remaining separate from the main program.

Manitoba Pork Council Chair Marcel Hacault says it's important that any program developed to address the animal welfare concerns of consumers also provide benefits for farmers.

"We see consumers saying they want some type of system in place to make them feel at ease that the animals are being well taken care of.

The reason we're involved is because we want to try and develop something that's going to help the producer improve his management and that would be used as a tool.

One of the big benefits would be that, on the consumer side, there would be a level of comfort there that there's a swine welfare component being adhered to.

I think the only way it's going to work is that it meets both needs, the needs of the producer and the needs of the consumer.

If we try and develop something that has absolutely no benefit to the producer there'll be very little uptake so it has be something that we can develop that can improve the producer's ability to manage his herd and, as a consequence, there's also a welfare component that the consumer can feel comfortable is being adhered to."

Hacault points out validation under Canadian Quality Assurance already requires a veterinary inspection to ensure equipment and procedures meet necessary food safety standards. He says it would be fairly simple to incorporate a complimentary animal welfare component into the program.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.