Farmscape for January 14, 2013

Input from those attending a disease simulation workshop in Calgary will be used to draft the final terms of reference under which the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network will operate.
The Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network allows swine veterinarians to share their observances on emerging animal disease issues.
Members of CSHIN's decision making body, representatives of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council, provincial governments, Chief Veterinary Officers, pork producers and processors, pig export companies and practicing veterinarians are in Calgary today and tomorrow for a disease simulation workshop.
Dr. Chris Byra, a veterinarian with Greenbelt swine veterinary services and the manager of the CSHIN management team, says the intent is to test the functionality of the system, find out what the rest of Canada feels CSHIN's role should be, assess decision making and cultivate working relationships among those involved.

Clip-Dr. Chris Byra-Greenbelt Swine Veterinary Services:
We're new players on the block in an area where diseases are either regulated and governments do the surveillance and the response or they're industry dealt with diseases, privately dealt with.
Farmers and their veterinarians would normally deal with these so there has been no one to really gather information on those production diseases that don't fall under a government mandate.
That's the role that we see ourselves playing but we are new in the field and so at this point really it's developing relationships with the other organizations that are involved, with the governments that are involved.
Further I think we want to make sure that we identify what concerns there might be and how we could be doing things better so we can finalize our governance and decision making terms of reference so that we provide the best service for the industry and protect the industry.

Dr. Byra says input gathered through the workshop will be used to draft the final terms of reference under which the Canadian Swine Health Intelligence Network will operate.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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