43 The Trusted Source for Canada’s Pork Producers Better Pork | June 2024 three iterations. Fox notes that the ongoing participation of these farms allows for a true comparison of yearover-year changes on Ontario farms. Trends and results One aspect of the study analyzed the antimicrobial use on farms by measuring the volume administered to produce 100 kilograms of a live finished pig. “As an industry, this metric is helpful because it accounts for differences across farms in shipping weights and provides a standardized point of comparison,” explains Fox. The results showed that, on average, farms used 17.18 grams of antimicrobials to produce 100 kilograms of finished hog. This is a 2.12 per cent increase from 2018 but remains below 2014 and 2016 values. Overall, the quantity of antimicrobials used for sows decreased from 2018 to 2022 but increased for all classes of growing pigs, though increases for weaners and finishers remained below previous study levels. Antimicrobial use trends across all benchmarking studies continue to decline for all stages of hog production, except for piglets, which were generally flat. Another important measurement in antimicrobial use is the type of antimicrobials administered. The benchmarking studies organized types of antimicrobials by category and treatment method. Category 1 antimicrobials are highly important to human medicine, and it was found that the use of Category 1 antimicrobials remains very low (<0.10 per cent of total grams used). The study indicated that there continues to be a shift away from Category 2 towards Categories 3 and 4, with the lowest level of importance to human medicine. The most common route of administration continues to be in feed, which is the most efficient way to address herd-level health concerns. Fox explains that antimicrobial usage within the agriculture sector continues to be included in national and global conversations around human and animal health, most notably because of antimicrobial resistance. “The good news is that this benchmarking study confirms antimicrobial use is levelling off, and in fact, the continued low use of Category 1 antimicrobials and the shift towards the use of Categories 3 and 4 is encouraging,” she says. Valuable information While it may appear that the provincial pork industry is hitting a plateau in overall antimicrobial usage reduction, factors like supply chain disruptions from COVID-19 that continued into early 2022 may be contributing to the results. The impact of the pandemic resulted in increases in pressure to hog flows and variations in disease load in Ontario, which have impacted usage within this iteration of the study. The 2022 study also revealed that costs of antimicrobial use have varied by stage of animal in line with the overall changes in usage and potentially changes in product availability. Participating producers should use the results to review and compare their own spending and usage. Fox recommends all Ontario hog producers routinely review medication plans with their veterinarian to ensure judicious use at all production stages to maintain animal health and care while considering cost implications. “This type of long-term study is important to demonstrate trends across time,” says Fox. “It also confirms our hog producers are practising safe, responsible use of antimicrobials.” If you would like more information on the 2022 report or are an Ontario producer interested in participating in this study in the future, please contact projects@opic.on.ca. BP SWINE HEALTH ONTARIO SWINE HEALTH ONTARIO Swine Health Ontario is a leadership team focused on improving and coordinating the industry’s ability to prevent, prepare for and respond to serious swine health threats in the province.
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