Country of Origin Labeling – COOL

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The new Country of Origin Labeling requirements took effect in the U.S. on
September 30, 2008. Most non-processed beef, pork and chicken sold in
grocery stores must be labeled with the countries in which the animals were raised and slaughtered. There are a number of potential outcomes from
COOL. The law could be loosely enforced or repealed. Packers may make
widespread use of multi country labels. In this case COOL is likely to have
little impact on pork or hog trade between the U.S. and Canada. Canadian
pork has the potential to develop into a niche market and sell at a premium to
U.S. pork. U.S. retailers may resist handling more than one label, causing
packers to resist buying hogs born in Canada. Time will tell.

Leadership for Positive Change

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In 2005, the Canadian Pork Council launched the Animal Care Assessment,
or ACA, an auditable on-farm program for animal care. The program follows
in the footsteps of the on-farm food safety program, CQA®, which is now a
core program in the Canadian hog industry.
Producers, already burdened with an increasing array of programs and
requirements, voluntary and mandatory initiatives, may wonder why such a
program is needed, and what value it will bring. This paper outlines
the pressures that led to the creation of the program, the steps and challenges
faced in developing the initiative, and the current environment that makes
having such a program critical. It was concluded that developing a national, credible, animal care program was necessary given both the domestic and international pressures facing the industry. But building the program is not enough. Producers need to participate, and to participate, they need to see a benefit. While the incentives are not financial, they are still clear. Without such a program, without such a defense, to domestic and international customers and the public, there is little to stand on.

In vitro digestibility techniques to predict digestible energy content of common ingredients and feed samples in grower pigs

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The regression equation developed in the present study can be
used to estimate the variation in DE content across ingredients and mixed
diets in swine. The in vitro technique can also be useful to calibrate near infrared
reflectance spectroscopy so that DE content can be predicted rapidly in
field situations.

Longitudinal Study of Salmonella Dispersion and the Role of Environmental Contamination in Commercial Swine Production Systems

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This study investigated the roles of various environmental sources, such as truck-washing systems, waste processing
lagoons, and other sources, as potential contributors to the exposure and dissemination of Salmonella in commercial swine production systems. Four cohorts of nursery age swine herds which originated from distinct farm flows were selected. In addition, cross-sectional sampling of four truck wash stations selected based on the types of disinfectants and sources of water used for sanitizing trucks were tested. Salmonella isolates were recovered from pigs (feces, cecal contents, and mesenteric lymph nodes) and environmental sources (barn floor, lagoon, barn flush, trucks, and holding pens). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing and genotyping were conducted using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and amplified fragment length polymorphism, respectively. Salmonella prevalence significantly increased with age from late nursery to slaughter for all of the cohorts (P
0.007). In two of three instances, all three pig holding pens (lairage) sampled at processing were Salmonella positive. The predominant antibiotypes for all sources included ACSSuT (51.8%), SSuT (16.8%), T (6%), and pansusceptible (7.4%). For the isolates obtained at the farms, the ACSSuT phenotype was 5.6 times more likely to be found in the animals than in the environment (95% confidence interval, 4.4 to 7.2 times).
Serogroup B was the most common serogroup (79%), followed by serogroup E (10.4%). Despite the fact that the four production flows were independent, 1 of the 11 genotypic clusters (cluster A1) was commonly detected in any type of sample regardless of its origin. Five of the genotypic clusters (clusters A3, A4, A5, A6, and A7) contained isolates that originated from trucks and lairage swabs and also from cecal contents and/or mesenteric lymph nodes. More interestingly, genotypic clusters A3, A4, and A6 (but not clusters A5 and A7) were not detected on the farms. They originated from the trucks and lairage swabs and then were identified from the cecal contents and/or mesenteric lymph nodes. These findings underscore the significance of various environmental factors, including inadequate truck-washing systems, and emphasize the role of lairage contamination by Salmonella that has food safety significance.

For more information the full article can be found at http://aem.asm.org/content/by/year

Effect of xylanase supplementation of diets containing wheat distiller’s dried grains with solubles on energy, amino acid and phosphorus digestibility and growth performance of grower-finisher pigs

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The differential response of supplementary xylanase to wheat versus wheat DDGS diets indicates that the specific xylanase activity used in the present study matches the arabinoxylans in wheat, but not in the wheat DDGS. As a note of caution, the digestible lysine content of wheat DDGS from an oldstyle ethanol plant that was studied in the present study may not reflect wheat DDGS produced in new generation ethanol plants. Further studies are required to
assess the impact of improved DDGS production methods on nutrient digestibility of wheat DDGS in swine, to improve nutrient digestibility in pigs fed diets containing wheat DDGS, or to identify factors associated with reduced nutrient digestibility of wheat DDGS.

Canada Regroups After COOL

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The Canadian hog industry has faced many challenges in recent years. The trends that continue to unfold will surely affect the supply of pigs, market hogs and pork that cross the U.S. border over the next year or so. As we take a closer look at pricing, margins and developments in the Canadian market, unfortunately, one of the biggest developments that must be addressed is mandatory country-of-origin labeling (COOL). Looking ahead, it can be expected
that Canadian hog inventories will continue to decline through 2009, although at a slower pace. Based on grain and hog price forecasts, Canadian hog producers might be in the black this spring and summer, but not by much. Margins will dip back into the red in the fall.

Written Euthanasia Protocols Required

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 Jim Moody, vice president of marketing and finishing at The Hanor Company, Spring Green, WI, and Michelle Jens, DVM and director of sow health at Audubon- Manning Veterinary Clinic (AMVC) Management Services, Audubon, LA, addressed the Swine Housing and Transport Forum held on June 2, in Des Moines. They stated that straightforward guidelines for euthanasia must be drafted into a farm protocol, including the training necessary to ensure it is accomplished effectively. Some key considerations in writing a euthanasia protocol, including the method of choice, are:

• Risk to human safety — The chosen method should not put producers/ employees at risk. “Safety is very important,” Moody emphasizes. “Over the years, I have seen people who have accidentally shot themselves while using a bolt gun and I’ve seen people who have accidentally electrocuted themselves. Training is very important.”
• Skill required — A critical part of the training is learning the landmarks for the most effective application of the captive bolt or other methods. Jens reminds that these landmarks are different based on the size and shape of the animal (See Figure 1). Especially for mature sows and boars, the shape of the head and face (dish, flat, bulge) affects the thickness of the skull bones and the size of the sinus cavity, which must be penetrated to reach the brain.
• Aesthetics for the observer and the operator — “There is nothing about euthanizing an animal that is pleasant, but there are some techniques that are better than others,” Moody continues. “Work with your people to make sure they are comfortable with what they are doing. If they are not, find someone else or find an acceptable alternative for euthanizing a pig.”
• Understand the limitations of the method — “Some techniques require a two-step process. I try to stay away from those,” Moody says. With those methods, the animal is rendered unconscious, requiring a second step to complete the euthanasia process. C. Scanlon Daniels, DVM with Circle H Headquarters, LLC, Dalhart, TX, adds: “Some people commonly refer to captive bolt guns as ‘stun guns’ The thing about stunning an animal is the stunning is what causes the insensibility or loss of consciousness. Stunning may or may not be permanent, so when we talk about some captive bolt guns, the length of the bolt and how well that captive bolt gun is maintained is important. “Some captive bolt guns may only cause stunning, where if the animal is left, it may regain consciousness. The other point, of course, is that stunning or temporary insensibility must be followed up with a secondary step, such as bleeding out or pithing in order to cause death.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       • Cost — From a practical standpoint, the cost of various options must be considered. Moody notes. The final and critical step in the euthanasia process is determining if the process was successful — confirmation of death. “We need to make sure we and our employees are trained to distinguish whether a pig is dead or alive,” Moody states.

BOARD-INVITED REVIEW: The use and application of distillers dried grains with solubles in swine diets

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Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) may be included in diets fed to pigs in all phases of production. The concentrations of DE and ME in DDGS are similar to those in corn. This paper concludes that DDGS can be included in
diets fed to growing pigs in all phases of production, beginning at 2 to 3 wk postweaning, in concentrations of
up to 30% DDGS, and lactating and gestating sows can be fed diets containing up to 30 and 50%, respectively,
without negatively affecting pig performance.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Rethinking the way we load pigs

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Powerpoint Presentation, presented at the 2009 Livestock Transportation Conference. Claims loading system results indicate that pigs loaded on the P chute during the FP have fewer total deads and total losses.

True digestibility of phosphorus in canola and soybean meals for growing pigs: Influence of microbial phytase

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The objectives of this study were to estimate the true digestibility of P (TPD) in canola (CM) and soybean meals (SM), and to determine the effect of microbial phytase on TPD, CM and SM. The results show a TPD of 41% in growing pigs fed CM or SM. This means that the addition of microbial phytase at 1,000 units/kg does improve the true digestibility of phosphorus in both canola and soybean meals.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/