When Wounds Talk, Researchers Listen
Carcass lesions can help tell how the pig was injured. Lesions are both an economic and welfare issue, as they impact the carcass quality and cause pain for the animal. Usually they occur when mixing unfamiliar pigs, often before slaughter. They are assessed using a...
Researchers Have a Ball Helping Pigs Play
Enrichment to help enhance animal welfare is a requirement in the updated Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs. An accelerometer can measure the acceleration of enrichment objects, and therefore how much they are used. Some objects, like a ball, were used...
PRRS Research Prompts Infectious Enthusiasm
A common swine disease in Canada is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and it is a very expensive disease for the swine industry. It spreads in many ways, including through pigs, the air or fomites like equipment and clothing. The greatest risks are employees...
Feed Research Has Finger on the Pulses
Pulse crops like lentils, field peas and faba beans may be a cheaper option for swine feed. These ingredients are highly available in Canada and though often used for human consumption, when they are downgraded they could be a cheap diet replacement for pigs, but...
Research on Pig Health is Irresistible
Genomics may be able to improve disease resilience and sustainability in Canadian pork production. Animals who are more resilient to disease will recover faster, affecting production a lot less. Disease has a large impact on the economics of pork production, so reducing disease effects will...
Genomics Lets Pork Industry Be Selective
A reference population of pigs were genotyped in order to determine traits of interest for producers. Once the genes of interest are identified, they can be selected for in the future so that the herd will include those traits. Traits that can be investigated include...
Piglet Nutrition Research Feeds Hunger for Knowledge
Micronutrients are needed in small quantities and are essential elements. Three that are transferred from the sow to the piglet after birth are copper, vitamin A and vitamin D. Naturally these are obtained by soil, plants and UV light but these sources are not present...
Listen Up: Pig Ears Help Predict Quality
Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can scan different part of the pig ears in order to classify carcasses in terms of high or low meat quality traits like fatty acid profile, fat depth, and lean and fat content. This process is more difficult on live pigs as...
Worried About Pig Stress? Research Offers Reassurance
There are many stressors in a pig life. These include both social and environmental aspects and can have a negative affect on the immune system and health as well as performance, growth and meat quality of the pigs. Pig stress has a large impact to...
Just Say No to Drug Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide concern since bacteria or viruses are evolving to be immune to antibiotic treatments. Using antibiotics needs to be significantly reduced, with livestock animals having more restricted access to them. In Canada, they can no longer be used for growth promotion...