Farmscape for October 25, 2013

A new series of videos developed by Manitoba Pork Council is expected to become an important training tool for pork industry workers involved in the handling and transport of pigs.
Manitoba Pork Council has completed the development of a new series of Smart Pig Handling videos.
The series, which took just over a year to produce, includes six chapters which cover Basic Pig Behavior, Principles of Pig Handling, Handling of Sows and Boars, Handling of Piglets and Nursery Pigs, Handling of Grower Pigs and Market Hogs and Loading and Unloading.
Manitoba Pork Council animal care specialist Mark Fynn says the intent is to bring all producers up to a high standard of pig handling.

Clip-Mark Fynn-Manitoba Pork Council:
The video contains a number of techniques, procedures and best practices for handling animals that make sure that we ensure worker safety as well as efficiency of movement and almost most importantly animal well being.
The idea is to focus on reducing the amount of stress on both workers and the pigs to make for a more safe and stress free task in actually moving pigs.
The videos are expected to be used by pork producers, universities that have staff that are working with pigs, we've had people from CFIA request the videos as well as transporters.
We expect them to use them in a training role to train new employees as well as other employees who are interested in viewing them and improving their pig handling skills.

Fynn says there are some good training materials out there on pig handling but they aren't necessarily readily accessible to a lot of producers.
For more information or to obtain copies of the Smart Pig Handling videos contact Manitoba Pork Council or visit manitobapork.com.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council