3 The Trusted Source for Canada’s Pork Producers Better Pork | August 2024 Better Pork is published six times a year by AgMedia Inc. 1-888-248-4893 ext 281 Subscriptions@BetterFarming.com ISSN 1497-2271 (Printed) Canadian one-year subscriptions: $22 (six issues; includes $2.53 HST). Two-year: $40 (12 issues; includes $4.60 HST). Single-copy back issues are $12 (including $1.38 HST). U.S. subscriptions: $39.30 annually. International: $66. GST Registration #868959347RT0001 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to AgMedia Inc. 90 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 Publications Mail Registration No. 1156 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40037298 Copyright © 2024 by AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any content without written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden. Acceptance of advertising does not constitute endorsement of the advertiser, its products or services, nor do Better Pork, AgMedia or Farms.com endorse any advertiser claims. The publisher shall have no liability for the omission of any scheduled advertising. 1-888-248-4893 90 Woodlawn Road West Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR PAUL NOLAN ext 202 Paul.Nolan@Farms.com ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER & EDITORIAL DIRECTOR LESLIE STEWART ext 265 Leslie.Stewart@Farms.com EDITORIAL TEAM EMILY CROFT GEOFF GEDDES CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS EDITION MOE AGOSTINO ABHINESH GOPAL MATT JONES JEANINE MOYER AUSTIN PUTZ FIONA TANSIL ADVERTISING TEAM GLENN RUEGG JENNY LONGSTREET DESIGN & PRODUCTION TEAM TANYA MYERS GREG MARLOW SHAUN CLARK ANDREA WILLIAMS www.BetterFarming.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR BIOSECURITY & H5N1; CPC CALLS ON FEDS This edition of Better Pork is packed with information and insight, and something you should not miss is our update on H5N1 and what’s being done to protect our industry against highly contagious influenza viruses. In our Swine Health Ontario department on Page 27, Jeanine Moyer interviews Dr. Christa Arsenault, lead veterinarian in the Animal Health & Welfare Department for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. “While we are all learning from this new H5N1 confirmation in livestock, the importance of preventing transmission and infection isn’t new. Biosecurity is more important than ever, especially as H5N1 is detected in wild bird populations across North America,” explains Arsenault. The article provides biosecurity steps producers can take to prevent H5N1, including limiting exposure to wild birds. (Something as simple as tracking fecal matter from birds into a barn can increase the risk. That’s why it’s important to discourage the attraction of birds around barns by cleaning up any feed spills or preventing birds from nesting in areas within close proximity to barns. It lists seven protocols you can introduce and enforce immediately. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC), the Canadian Meat Council, and two cattle associations are urging the federal government to reinstate the Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s Workforce Solution Roadmap. This initiative, introduced two years ago, was designed to tackle labour shortages in the meat processing and livestock farming sectors. According to the CPC, reducing the allowable proportion of temporary foreign workers from 30 per cent to a new cap of 20 per cent has the opposite impact the government says it wants on food affordability. “We understand the federal government’s concerns about the housing shortage, but temporary foreign workers are not the issue,” stated the CPC These workers are typically provided housing by employers, either through existing accommodations on farms or at processing plants. Cover: Dyck Family photo, Jodie Aldred photo We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE INSIGHT FROM THE INSIDE “If you want to wash, disinfect and dry your transports, that will add another dollar per pig to your expenses. To only wash and dry, it might be 70 cents per pig, or 20 cents to just flush the trailer. As your cost goes down, however, so does your protection.” - Dr. Egan Brockhoff, Page 8 “I love taking care of animals; that is my passion. I also find it satisfying to produce a healthy protein for the world and empower others to do their work. Our farm is a very positive place where people enjoy coming to work and care about the results.” - Sheldon Dyck, Page 21 “While we are all learning from this new H5N1 confirmation in livestock, the importance of preventing transmission and infection isn’t new. Biosecurity is more important than ever, especially as H5N1 is detected in wild bird populations across North America.” - Dr. Christa Arsenault, Page 28
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