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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
CLT & TQA Working Together
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2007 | No Comments
Animal care and welfare are priorities of the pork industry. This is equally important when animals leave the farm for transport to market. The transportation of pigs in Canada and the United States is similar. The Certified Livestock Transporter (CLT) program in Canada and the Trucker Quality Assurance (TQA) in the United States share a common goal: To educate individuals who handle pigs about the importance of proper handling in the loading, transportation and unloading of the pig with attention to animal care. The National (USA) Pork Board introduced TQA in 2002. This program is offered to anyone delivering pigs to federally inspected packers in the USA. TQA addresses loading, transportation, unloading of pigs and how this affects animal welfare, biosecurity and pork quality. The CLT program received permission from the US National Pork Board to use their Trucker Quality Assurance training course as the basis for the CLT hog module. It was created under the guidance of Canadian transporters, researchers, federal and provincial government personnel, hog producers, veterinarians and industry representatives and was launched in May 2007. Both CLT and the TQA programs deal with how the driver’s attitude must be positive when handling and transporting animals. Tone of voice, body language, and handling practices affect the condition of livestock during loading and unloading. It is crucial for truckers and handlers to understand pig behavior and physiology in order to transport and handle them effectively. These courses also help in understanding that when a handler takes advantage of the animal’s natural movement the animal loads more quickly and arrives at the processor with less bruising and skin injuries, resulting in fewer losses. These courses also teach how to recognize signs of stress and how to read the body language of the animal. This helps the loader/driver determine whether or not to load the animal. Transporters have the responsibility not to ship any animal that shows symptoms of illness, has a severe injury or is extremely fatigued. Improperly designed chutes and ramps cause problems during loading and unloading. Design of the system should promote a pig’s natural following behavior. Loaders should use driving aids that help move animals in a safe, humane and timely manner. Sorting boards, plastic paddles and a witch’s cape are tools that are effective and humane. The CLT and TQA courses also teach drivers that they need to know how different weather conditions affect the pigs in their care. Best management techniques including, checklist of extreme weather measures and loading densities are covered. CLT provides truckers with a toll free line (1-800-506-2273) to report on concerns and seek advice, as well the truckers are notified of any regulatory changes, updates, security issues and other professional development workshops. The CLT and TQA courses also teach truckers that loaded commercial livestock trailers are at greater risk of being involved in a rollover situation than standard freight trailers. Studies indicate that the point of no return for a loaded double-decked livestock trailer is as little as 5º level. TQA gives a suggested plan of action in the case of a truck/trailer rollover. CLT covers emergency procedures as well as suggestions on incident response in its core manual. In 2006, almost six million Canadian feeder pigs were transported to the United States, most hauled by Canadian truckers. Total live hog exports in 2007 are on a pace to break the 2006 record of 8.76 million head exported. It makes sense that those who are involved with the transportation of pigs have access to programs on both sides of the border. Processors in both countries benefit because their customers, both domestic and foreign, will know that the animal was transported with the utmost animal welfare, biosecurity and pork quality in mind.
Searching for genes that can offer resistance to disease
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A DNA test could soon be available to identify breeder pigs best equipped to produce offspring with better natural resistance to disease.
“We have found some genetic defects that are associated with impaired resistance to different infections,” says Dr. Tony Hayes, Professor in the Department of Pathobiology at the University of Guelph.
“The genes that we are interested in are innate immune genes that provide resistance to a broad range of different things,” he says. “They help resist disease in animals when they first encounter those infections. If the systems don’t function correctly, the animal may be more susceptible to
various types of infections.”
USDA Agricultural Projections to 2016
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Rethinking the levels of supplemental trace minerals in sow diets when using phytase
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Research to determine the
effect of the enzyme phytase
on a sow’s performance
and mineral requirements
may help reduce feed waste
and prevent the build-up of
minerals in the soil
The Ethanol Industry, Dried Distiller's Grains With Solubles (DDGS), And Their Impact On Pork Production
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In the USA corn supply is increasingly being fed to the ethanol industry, which could very well create a battle between the livestock industry and the ethanol industry. The increased production of ethanol results in increased corn price, increased corn acreage, decreased corn exports, and increased feed use of ethanol by-products (DDGS). DDGS is high in energy and can be a good partial substitute for corn in swine diets. The high digestibility of phosphorus works well with the fact that there is less heat damage to DDGS, which increases lysine digestibility. It is thought that DDGS may improve gut health, and sows fed DDGS weaned more pigs per litter and the pigs had a slightly improved growth rate. However, DDGS does have some limitations. Because of the high fibre content and low liquid content, manure output increases slightly. Because they are 10% corn oil, carcass quality decreases. Feeding DDGS could potentially reduce palatability, feed intake, and growth rate. Studies are currently being done on other ethanol by-product uses.
Starch and energy digestibility in weaned pigs fed extruded zero-tannin faba bean starch and wheat as an energy source
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Digestion of extruded
starch is poorly characterized. Two diets containing wheat or faba bean starch were extruded individually or combined
50:50 (wt/wt) and fed to weaned pigs. Ileal starch digestion tended to be higher (P<0.10) for the extruded wheat diet than
the extruded faba bean diets, while total tract digestibility of starch and energy was higher (P<0.05) for the two extruded
faba bean starch diets than the extruded wheat diet. Feed intake tended to be higher (P<0.10) for extruded faba bean
starch diet, but final body weight was not affected by extruded starch source. The in vivo kinetics of starch and energy
digestion differed between extruded wheat and faba bean starch diets.
Disinfection of Swine Barns
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A number of important criteria must be considered when selecting an appropriate and effective disinfectant. Disinfectants should: be free of strong and objectionable odours; not be corrosive; not remain strongly toxic after their application nor excessively irritating; be effective at ordinary temperatures when diluted with water, and readily mix with water; be packaged in such a form and concentration that they are easy to transport, mix and economical to use; and have a high fast-acting antimicrobial potency even in heavily contaminated areas. Some widely used disinfectants include formaldehyde, chlorine (bleach), quaternary ammonium compounds, phenolic disinfectants, hydrogen peroxide, virkon, alcohols, chlorhexidine, iodine, and iodophors. The application of some of these disinfectants may mean the careful calibration of high-pressure washer equipment in order to achieve the desired concentration. The following is a summary of the steps to properly clean and disinfect a premises:
1.All manure, litter, and unused feed should be removed.
2.All surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned with a high pressure (preferably steam) washer with a good detergent, including feeding utensils.
3.All surfaces should be sprayed with a liberal amount of appropriate disinfectant.
4.In some cases, it may be necessary to rinse the disinfectant off all surfaces.
5.If spraying cannot adequately disinfect the premises, consideration should be given to fumigation.
6.Allow the facility to dry and remain vacant for several days before restocking