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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:
National Sow Housing Conversion Project
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Welfare by admin on May 13, 2013
The use of stall housing for gestating sows has come under criticism for being too restrictive and failing to provide adequately for the welfare of sows. From 1st January 2013, a legislated ban was implemented in the EU, banning the use of sow stalls from 28 days post breeding. In 2007, the largest pork producers in the USA and Canada pledged to transition their sow housing to group systems over the next 10 years. Now, increasing numbers of food retailers, including Tim Hortons, Burger King and McDonalds, have pledged to source pork from producers who have developed plans for conversion to group housing. In addition the
supermarket chains Safeway and Costco recently announced plans to develop a stall-free pork supply chain. Consequently, the Canadian pork industry is under increasing pressure to convert existing gestation stall housing for its 1.3 million sows to group systems.