Farmscape News

Ottawa Encouraged to Expand Food Borne Illness Monitoring

Dr. Rick Holley - University of Manitoba — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for July 3, 2009 (Episode 3231)

A food safety expert with the University of Manitoba warns, until we know what foods make people sick most frequently, it's unlikely we'll ever be able to manage the risks associated with food borne illness.

Dr. Rick Holley, with the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences applauds the indefinite extension of the Public Health Agency of Canada's C-EnterNet program.

The surveillance program tracks the health status of Canadians in a sentinel site in the Waterloo region in response to the consumption of contaminated foods to identify the foods and the organisms responsible for food borne illness.

Dr. Holley told the sub-committee on food safety of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture Canada has been far too reliant on data provided by the U.S.

Clip-Dr. Rick Holley-University of Manitoba
We are able to track the major food borne illness outbreaks and when they occur we don't capture anywhere near enough data to allow us to say conclusively that what we think caused the illness in fact does cause the illness.

Programs in the United States are organized and called active surveillance.

In Canada we do passive surveillance.

In the programs in the United States they have assigned folks who actually go out and visit with physicians and get physician patient records, take sample and ensure that the clinical samples are analyzed appropriately and actually take food samples from patients' homes as well.

We do do those kinds of analysis in Canada but only as far as the resources that are available to us will allow and we miss a significant amount of information in outbreaks.

Dr. Holley says about one in 120 people who suffer a bout of food borne illness go to the doctor and provide samples and the number of samples that actually make their way to the lab for analysis is fewer than that.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Pork Producer Issues Appeal to Consumers

Teresa Van Raay - Ontario Pork Producer — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 2, 2009 (Episode 3230)

An Ontario pork producer is urging the Canadian public to think about where they want the pork they eat to come from and to ask their grocers where it comes from.

The Canadian pork industry is entering its fourth year of non profitability resulting from high feed costs, the strong dollar, reduced access to credit, U.S. Country of Origin Labelling and H1N1.

Southwestern Ontario pork producer Teresa Van Raay has written an open letter to all Canadian Consumers who eat which outlines the situation facing her and her fellow pork producers and appeals to consumers to consider the origin of their food.

She says sometimes it takes a crisis for people to stand up and be heard and the pork industry is at that critical point.

Clip-Teresa Van Raay-Ontario Pork Producer
What I ask of the consumers is to ask for Canadian pork, choose the "Buy Canadian" label.

If they're unable to read where it comes from to ask where the product is coming from.

Asking for truth in labelling to help our consumers make an educated choice and it's easy enough as long as the imported products follow the regulations and that the retailers do this at the grocery counter.

We just need to ask.

When we buy Canadian you know what you're buying.

Canadian has very high standards, we have a lot of protocols in place with regard to feeding and animal care and transporting animals, environment and very high food safety and quality standards.

There's a lot of economic connections to agriculture.

It's not just the farmer.

It's seed companies, the vets, genetic companies, the farm equipment dealers, retailers and that's just to mention a couple in there.

Van Raay points out the pork industry represents 70 thousand jobs in Canada and it generates 7.7 billion dollars in economic activity, 2.1 billion in wages alone.

To access her letter visit farmscape.ca/letter.doc.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Positive Signs Reported on the Multilateral Free Trade Front

Stockwell Day - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 30, 2009 (Episode 3229)

Canada's international trade minister reports signs that World Trade Organization negotiations aimed at securing a new multilateral free trade agreement may be ready to get back on track.

Last December World Trade Organization efforts to conclude a new world trade agreement were suspended after discussions in Geneva collapsed.

Last week as part of a trade mission to Europe and the Middle East international trade minister Stockwell Day participated in an Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ministerial meeting and a WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Paris.

Day suggest greater flexibility on the part of India is a positive sign.

Clip-Stockwell Day-Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister
The previous minister, with whom I had met, had been very clear about how entrenched he was in his position which was causing difficulty.

The new minister has indicated that he is willing to give consideration in areas which the previous minister had not so there's a signal there that one of the roadblocks, there's some indication will be brought down.

When that happens then another country which would have said, if India is going to propose a block in that area then we're going to keep our guard up.

That then removes some of the reason for a retaliatory kind of response in these discussions.

Was it a giant signal that all of the log-jam has suddenly burst and everything is flowing freely?

No, but it was a sign that there's a willingness to remove some obstacles.

What starts out then in discussions in an incremental way can very quickly lead to some measurable movement and that's why I am feeling more optimistic at this point.

Day suggests the trading world needs an indication that the protectionist impulse is being tamed and that things are going to move forward.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

M-COOL Negotiations Yield Little Progress

Stockwell Day - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 29, 2009 (Episode 3228)

Canada's minister of international trade reports there's little progress in discussions with the United States aimed at resolving Canada's concerns over Mandatory U.S. Country of Origin Labelling.

Last September new rules took effect which require a range of foods, including muscle cuts and ground meats including beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, and goat meat to be identified at U.S. retail according to its country of origin.

In February, approximately three weeks before the March 16th implementation of the final rule for Mandatory COOL, U.S. agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack issued a letter calling on American retailers to implement additional voluntary labelling measures.

That prompted Canada to request additional formal consultations with the U.S. under the World Trade Organization dispute settlement process.

In the event the formal consultations fail to resolve the dispute, Canada will be in a position to request that the matter be referred to a WTO dispute settlement panel.

International trade minister Stockwell Day reports the issue remains unresolved.

Clip-Stockwell Day-Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister
We're not happy with their response to our concerns back in January and February and so we filed under WTO for the consultation process.

That process, the time limit is winding down.

The people were appointed to do the consultations, to compare the notes.

I can't say that I've seen great movement there so we may have to take it directly to the dispute settlement mechanism.

We're prepared to do that.

We've told the Americans that.

We'd like to see this settled in the final phases of the consultation process but if that's not possible we will not hesitate to take it to a dispute.

Day says indications are that the U.S. understands Canada's position on Country of Origin Labelling but really hasn't come up with a solution that Canada can live with so we may have to force the issue by taking it through the dispute settlement mechanism.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Grassroots Contact Needed to Prompt Government Action

Farmscape Staff - — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape Article 3227 June 27, 2009

Canada’s pork producers are being encouraged make personal contact with their elected government officials and outline the situations on their farms in support of calls for immediate action to address the economic crisis facing the nation’s pork industry.

“Our industry is in real dire straits and under an extreme cash crunch,” observes Canadian Pork Council Chair Jurgen Preugschas.
“We need to do something very very quickly otherwise we’re going to see a complete collapse of the industry.”

Public Forum Brings Producers Together with Politicians
Preugschas was one of the keynote speakers this week in Morris (June 22) at a public forum organized by Manitoba Pork Council. The event brought together pork producers, their employees and their equipment and service suppliers to meet with federal MPs and provincial MLAs.

“The purpose of the forum was to try to get the producers’ message back to government,” explains Manitoba Pork Council Chair Karl Kynoch.
“All of our asks have been refused both provincially and federally.”
Kynoch notes requests for the Manitoba government to match a Saskatchewan program that provides per head payments to the pork producers in that province have been refused. As well the industry had been asking for a $30.00 per head federal payment but public comments by federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz have made it obvious there will be no federal cash injection.

Over the past three years Canadian pork producers have been negatively impacted by a combination factors, including skyrocketing feed and other input costs, the effects of the rising value of the Canadian dollar, the impact of U.S. Country of Origin Labelling on trade and most recently the fallout from the H1N1 virus.

Situation Dire for Producers
“The situation is actually dire right now from a cash flow point of view,” observes Saskatchewan Pork Development Board Director Ross Johnson.

“It’s cumulative losses over a couple of years now and it’s just coming to a crisis point now,” Johnson observes.
As well he notes, because Saskatchewan no longer has a major packing plant, its producers face additional transportation costs ranging from $7.00 to $10.00 per head.
“On our provincial level the Saskatchewan government has shown a lot of support by putting extra dollars out into producers hands,” Johnson observes.
However, he adds, “Federally, it almost seems like we hear the message, yes we are listening, yes we are listening but action has been nil to none.”

Meeting Provides Forum for Dialogue
The forum in Morris attracted an estimated 500 to 600 industry stakeholders.
“We really felt we needed to bring all the producers together and bring government together with the producers to allow them to be able to hear first hand what’s really going on at the grassroots and allow government the opportunity to explain their situation and see if we can come up with some ideas to work together and move forward.”

Kynoch suggests, one thing that stood out, was the fact that there was representation from all levels of industry which sends a pretty strong signal of the concern that’s out there right now.

Conservative and Liberal Parties Well Represented
Five federal members of parliament and five members of the Manitoba legislature turned out to listen to what stakeholders had to say. Federally, the governing Conservative Party of Canada was represented by Selkirk Interlake MP James Bezan, Brandon Souris MP Merv Tweed and Portage Lisgar MP Candice Hoeppner. The Liberal Party of Canada was represented by Malpeque MP Wayne Easter and Wascana MP Ralph Goodale.

Provincially the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party was represented by party leader Hugh McFadyen, Lakeside MLA Ralph Eichler, Turtle Mountain MLA Cliff Cullen and Carman MLA Blaine Pedersen. The Manitoba Liberal Party was represented by party leader Jon Gerrard.

Recovery Requires Broad Participation
Preugschas believes a viable recovery plan will need to be multi faceted and involve both federal and provincial governments as well as producers. It will need to get cash into the hands of producers quickly in some fashion or another and it will need to accommodate restructuring the industry.

“Cash is king,” Johnson observes.
He believes options need to be both short term and long term.
“We have to find methods of getting cash into producers hands. Obviously, I think, the avenues that the government has wanted to use through the current programs is not working. I think we need to come up with some other methods, whether we modify the current programs or we look for some ad-hoc payments but cash is king and we have to get cash into the producers’ hands.”

Cash Injection Industry Restructuring Necessary
Preugschas observes options exist in the form of loans such as an H1N1 loan to cover some of those losses, possibly doubling the Advance Payment Program and an enhanced sow cull program.

Johnson agrees, “We have to, number one, take a look at programs that will allow producers to get out without walking away with just the shirts on their backs. We have to look at making the industry viable for the producers that do remain. I think, as consumers and people in the general public, we have to realize the contributions the pork industry does make both to the economy and in contributing pork to our human food chain. I think we really need to make sure that, at the end of the day, we end up with a viable industry.”

Grassroots Producer Involvement Urged
“Right now this industry is really hurting bad,” Kynoch admits.
He urges producers to document their experiences to provide the evidence their industry leaders need to be taking to government.
“We need them to be sending emails to their members of parliament, their MPs, their MLAs.
They need to be personally, hand written about their own experiences on the farm. It goes a long way when the MLAs and MPs receive letters from producers that are individually written about their own experiences. We need them to be doing that. We need them to be calling their members and letting them know just what is really going on at the grassroots.”

Preugschas agrees producers need to keep up the political pressure.
“They need to tell their stories to their MLAs and their members of parliament and hold those elected members accountable for what they’re doing. Our producers are telling us that we need to know something by the end of June and money needs to be into our pockets by the end of summer.”

Public Support and Understanding Appreciated
Kynoch applauds the public’s support in increasing the consumption of pork.
“For the public we’re asking them to support us to the government to help us get back to where we can actually turn a profit again and we’re also asking the public to continue to buy the product.”
He suggests, “If your are a working person imagine that every morning when you go to work that you actually paid the employer to be able to go to work instead of receiving money for working. That’s what producers are going through. Every day that we raise livestock for food, we actually are doing that at below the cost of production so we’re actually paying to be able to raise livestock.”

“We’re really pleased with the turn-out at the Morris meeting,” Kynoch concludes.
“Lot’s of dialogue went on among the producers and with the government. We had lots of MPs and MLAs in the audience there that were there to listen. We’re really looking forward to the them taking that message back. Again we encourage producers to continue to call your MPs, MLAs or write emails to them. That will go a long way to help move this cause forward.”

Staff Farmscape.Ca

WCVM Expands to Meet Expanding Demand for Veterinary Services

Dr. Charles Rhodes - Western College Veterinary Medicine — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 26, 2009 (Episode 3226)

The dean of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine says the demand for veterinary services continues to expand.

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine has kicked off a 9.06 million dollar renovation of its diagnostics laboratory, the final phase of a major infrastructure renewal plan that began back in 2004.

Once complete the upgrades will provide faculty, staff and students with an environment where innovations in diagnostic and clinical techniques can be developed, tested and applied.

College dean Dr. Charles Rhodes says the role of veterinarians is expanding.

Clip-Dr. Charles Rhodes-Western College of Veterinary Medicine
I think that we see the role of veterinarians changing.

We see veterinarians playing increasingly significant role in the area of public health and human health.

We see the demands for veterinary services changing and expanding.

There's increasing demand for veterinarians to serve areas like research and even private research in pharmaceutical companies and other health companies so we have to educate our students in this area.

We need to be sure that they are up to date on the latest technologies available that they can then bring then to their practices or to public practice whether it's the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Public Agency of Canada or provincial agencies.

We're hoping that this expansion will expand our opportunities for research training, for undergraduate training in veterinary medicine, making students aware of the latest technologies and exposing them to it on a regular basis and really addressing issues of biosafety and biosecurity within our facilities.

The renovations will bring nearly all of the college's diagnostic services into one lab.

The renovations are slated for completion in December 2010.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Communication Key to Addressing Financial Crisis on the Farm

Gerry Friesen - Manitoba Farm Mediation Board — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 25, 2009 (Episode 3225)

A director on the Manitoba Farm Mediation Board says maintaining communications within the family and with creditors is key to dealing with the economic crisis being experienced on Manitoba hog farms.

A combination of factors, ranging from low hog prices due to an over-supply, increased input costs particularly feed costs, the rising value of the Canadian dollar, U.S. Country of Origin Labelling and now H1N1 flu, has pushed many Canadian pork producers to the brink of bankruptcy.

Manitoba Farm Mediation Board director Gerry Friesen encourages producers facing difficulty to maintain communications particularly with secured creditors but also unsecured creditors and be aware of what's going on on the farm to not be caught by surprises down the road.

Clip-Gerry Friesen-Manitoba Farm Mediation Board
It differs for every producer because every producer has different circumstances.

Certainly, when I deal with producers, I like to talk to them about anything from winning the lottery on one extreme to declaring bankruptcy on the other extreme and everything in between which can mean payment deferrals, it can mean right-sizing or down-sizing the farm, it may mean exiting the farm and how with each scenario they can best work their way out of the situation they're in in a win win situation.

What's key to all of that is communication, first of all at home but then also with their creditors.

Of course when people are under stress communication breaks down, relationships suffer and when relationships suffer things go to pieces really quickly.

Friesen says producers often have the misconception that signing up for mediation is the first step toward losing the farm but the sooner you apply for mediation, the more proactive you can be with creditors, the more options there will be available.

He says far too often the board starts dealing with farmers once all options have disappeared because they've waited too long.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Pork Producers Encouraged to Make Personal Contact with Government Representatives

Karl Kynoch - Manitoba Pork Council — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 24, 2009 (Episode 3224)

Manitoba Pork Council is calling on the province's pork producers to write personal letters to government and on the public to support producers by understanding the situation and by buying pork.

Canadian pork producers continue to lose an estimated 30 to 50 dollars on every hog they raise.

Between 500 and 600 producers and industry stakeholders turned out for a public meeting Monday night in Morris to discuss the crisis and to interact with provincial MLAs and federal MPs.

Manitoba Pork Council chair Karl Kynoch says the goal was to examine possible options and to get producers' message back to government.

Clip-Karl Kynoch-Manitoba Pork Council
In the past we've went forward with asks to both our provincial governments and federal governments.

Our provincial government, we had actually put an ask in that they come forward and that they match the Saskatchewan program of 20 dollars a hog and about ten dollars per weanling.

We had asked that our government match that as our government is the only one that hasn't actually helped out the producers across Canada and we've been straight out refused that ask.

We also went to the federal government as everybody knows and we've asked for about a 30 dollar cash injection into the hog industry for a certain period and it was very obvious last week when minister Ritz had actually came out publicly and said that there would be no cash injection into the hog industry.

So basically we're sitting last week with nothing on the table anymore.

All of our asks have been refused both provincially and federally.

So we really felt we needed to bring all the producers together and bring government together with the producers to allow them to be able to hear first hand from the producers what's really going on at the grassroots and allow government the opportunity to explain their situation and see if we can come up with some ideas to work together and move forward.

Kynoch encourages producers to send personally written letters and emails and make telephone calls to their MLAs and MPs outlining what they're experiencing and on the public to understand the situation and to demonstrate their support by buying pork.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

Cash Key to Helping Pork Producers Survive Economic Crisis

Ross Johnson - Sask Pork — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 24, 2009 (Episode 3223)

A director with the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board says the pork industry has reached a crisis point where some method needs to be found to get cash into the hands of producers.

An estimated 500 to 600 pork producers and industry stakeholders gathered Monday night in Morris, Manitoba to discuss the economic challenges facing their industry, explore options and interact with MLAs and MPs.

Sask Pork director Ross Johnson observes, while the Saskatchewan government has shown a lot of support by putting extra dollars into producer's hands, the federal response has been nil and he's been disappointed in the action Ottawa hasn't taken.

Clip-Ross Johnson-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board
The situation is actually dire right now from a cash flow point of view.

We're in a situation where we've got feed issues, we've got H1N1 issues, we've got issues that are related to the dollar and it's cumulative losses over a couple of years now and it's just coming to a crisis point now.

Options are both short term and long term.

Obviously cash is king.

We have to find methods of getting cash into producers hands.

What's the best methodology for that, obviously I think the avenues that the government has wanted to use through the current programs is not working and I think we need to come up with some other methods, whether we modify the current programs or we look for some ad-hoc payments but cash is king and we have to get cash into the producers' hands.

Johnson suggests programs are needed that will allow producers to get out without walking away with just the shirts on their backs, we have to find ways to make the industry viable for those producers that remain and people in the general public need to realize the contributions the pork industry makes both to the economy and in supplying pork to the human food chain.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

CPC Calls for Special H1N1 Recovery Program

Jurgen Preugschas - Canadian Pork Council — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 23, 2009 (Episode 3222)

The Canadian Pork Council is appealing to government for special assistance to help pork producers cope with the added economic pressure resulting from the H1N1 flu virus.

Last month the Canadian Pork Council called on the federal government to provide assistance in the form of direct payments to Canadian pork producers.

Last night between 600 and 700 pork industry stakeholders and their supporters gathered in Morris for a rally organized by Manitoba Pork Council to discuss the situation and voice their concerns to federal MPs and provincial MLAs.

Canadian Pork Council chairman Jurgen Preugschas told those on hand, in recognition of the potential risk of trade action in response to a direct payment, the request has been revised to include an H1N1 recovery program.

Clip-Jurgen Preugschas-Canadian Pork Council
Our industry is in real dire straights and under an extreme cash crunch and it means we need to do something very very quickly.

There's several things, certainly in the form of loans that we're looking at, maybe doubling up on the advance payments program and then also an H1N1 loan to cover some of those losses and then thirdly to look at an enhanced sow cull program.

The plan would involve our governments, be it federal or provincial and certainly the producers as well and we need a multi-faceted plan that takes a look at getting cash out quickly to producers in some fashion or another.

Then probably another part of that plan is to take a look at restructuring of the industry.

Preugschas estimates losses continue to run in the range of 30 to 50 dollars per hog.

He says producers are indicating they need to have some form of government commitment by the end of June and money needs to be flowing before the end of summer.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

H1N1 Virulence Typical of Seasonal Flu But Timing Unusual

Dr. John Harding - Western College of Veterinary Medicine — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for June 22, 2009 (Episode 3221)

The Western College of Veterinary Medicine reports, although the window of infection appears different, the virulence of the H1N1 flu appears typical of normal seasonal flu's

Earlier this month the World Health Organization raised the influenza pandemic alert in relation to the H1N1 flu from phase 5 to phase 6, recognizing the world is now in the earliest days of an influenza pandemic.

Dr. John Harding, an associate professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon stresses a pandemic doesn't necessarily mean devastating mortality but rather reflects the number of countries and proportion of population infected.

Clip-Dr. John Harding-Western College of Veterinary Medicine
Conditions are much different today in 2009 than they were in 1918, just different social issues, end of the war, lack of penicillin, lack of hospital facilities so I really, in my opinion, don't think we'll ever see mortality like our forefathers saw back in 1918.

It is world-wide, there's no question, a growing number of people are infected with it but it remains really just a flu of more typical seasonal virulence.

The one characteristic which is different with this is that we're now seeing mortality extend beyond the traditional flu season.

That may indicate the strain is somewhat different but it also could be explained by just difference in the timing of the outbreak.

Typically flu season starts in the fall and runs for about six months through to the spring on a seasonal basis.

This particular H1N1 started in April and by rights we would see a normal six month course of infection so it should take us into the fall.

It'll be interesting to watch this over the summer to see whether it gets worse and again see whether things continue in the fall or whether this strain peters out in the fall and the next seasonal flu comes in.

Dr. Harding concedes it's too early to say but scientists will be watching with interest

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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

July Swine Health Forum to Chart Path for Addressing Emerging Swine Diseases

Farmscape Staff - — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape Article 3220 June 21, 2009

“Instead of waiting until something happens and then react, we’re proactively trying to reduce the risk of pigs getting sick in Canada,” says Claude Vielfaure, the executive vice-president of production and genetics with La Broquerie, Manitoba based Hytek Inc. and a director on the newly created Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB).

Seminar and Workshop Set for July
Pork industry stakeholders are preparing to gather next month (July 7-8) in Saskatoon to discuss animal health issues and plan strategy for dealing with the next animal disease issue. Canadian Swine Health Forum 2009, to be hosted by the CSHB, will bring together key pork industry players in an effort to get the dialogue going among government agencies, private veterinary practitioners and producers.

Feedback will be gathered from producers, academics and representatives of the federal and provincial governments to gain an understanding of what the emerging issues are, what programs should be funded and what research should be funded to deal with any disease that might affect Canada’s swine herds, Vielfaure explains.

CSHB Formed in Response to Circovirus
The Canadian Swine Health Board was created as part of a program announced by the federal government in the summer of 2007 following an outbreak of Porcine Circovirus Associated Diseases (PCVAD) which had taken a dramatic toll on the nation’s swine herd. The federal government responded with a two part $76,000,000 dollar program to address the disease. Under phase one, affected producers qualified for financial assistance to help cover the cost of vaccinating their herds. Phase two of the program will provide funds for research, monitoring of new diseases and improving biosecurity to deal with future risk management issues.

“Circovirus, back in 2005, 2006 and 2007, was causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to our swine industry,” recalls CSHB chair Florian Possberg.
“A lot of the programs that we have react to the damage that’s done. The federal government in their wisdom decided to spend some money on prevention in dealing with disease before it gets out of hand. That was the concept, to be proactive and identify and deal with emerging disease issues. It was kind of a new initiative but, as an industry, we thought it was very well thought out.”

“The hog industry really doesn’t have an annual forum or an annual meeting where everybody can get together to discuss various issues,” observes CSHB acting executive director Morgan Radford.
“This is the first time that we’re doing something like this specifically to deal with swine health matters. Right now there isn’t a clear understanding of how things are supposed to happen and how are we as an industry going to deal with the next emerging disease because we’re quite certain there’s going to be another one.”

Conference Intended to Kick-Start CSHB Activities
Possberg notes, the Canadian Swine Health Board is just becoming active and next month’s conference is meant to kick-off the agency’s program, benchmark the state of the industry in terms of new and emerging diseases and get into the history of how Circovirus did the damage it did.
“We will have a very good bank of speakers that will cover a number of topics including where we were and where we went with the Circovirus thing, what some of the global threats are and what some of the other countries are doing to address new and emerging diseases. It will bring together a broad group of industry players from researchers to grad students with their research projects, practicing veterinarians, both provincial and federal government people that deal with health issues and, of course, a broad spectrum of producers from across Canada.”

Animal Disease Top of Mind Among Producers
Vielfaure points out the threat of disease is a big factor in everything swine producers do and they like to think they have high biosecurity standards on their farms.
“It’s a huge factor for producers when disease hits a pig farm and pigs die. It’s a huge economic factor for us. We care for our animals and we try to keep them as comfortable and healthy as possible so, of course, when that happens it’s very demoralizing for the producer and so that’s why we try to keep the pigs as healthy as we can.”

Information on the Canadian Swine Health Board, Swine Health Forum 2009 and the conference agenda and registration form can be accessed at www.swineheath.ca.
Radford notes, “During the forum we’re going to have a brain storming session. We’re going to provide participants with the opportunity to give feedback on paper and then after the forum for a few weeks we’ll have a blog and comment feature on the site which will allow for further input from stakeholders.”
After the forum has ended participants will be invited to come back and continue the discussions on-line.

H1N1 Underscores Initiative’s Timeliness
The item that’s been most newsworthy in the last few months that has affected the pork industry has been the H1N1 crisis.
“That’s just an example of where we could spend time coordinating our efforts,” says Possberg.
“Although we’re really not in a position to deal with H1N1 at this time because of the early development status of our board, it is issues like that for which we will be in a better state of readiness in the future and better positioned to react to in a positive manner.”

Radford adds, “It (H1N1) just shows how timely it is for us to get together and have a plan for how we deal with emerging diseases.”

Initiative Intended to Preserve Canada’s Health Advantage
Possberg believes the Canadian industry’s superior health status and ability to produce hogs very efficiently because of that health advantage provides a real competitive advantage in the global market place.
“We can’t take that for granted. It’s something that we have to continually monitor and work at.
We really see the Canadian Swine Health Board as bringing all the key players together that can act very proactively to make sure our industry does have this competitive advantage going into the future.”

Vielfaure agrees, “Every country has their own different controls on pig diseases but I think we are fairly leading edge as a country. Hopefully, because of that, we’re able to differentiate ourselves when it comes to selling pork.”

Staff Farmscape.Ca