Claude Vielfaure of HyLife Foods and a director with the Canadian Pork Council suggests broad public input is a significant factor in the successful update of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs in Canada.
Vielfaure, who took part in the process as an observer, says the participation of such a broad cross section of stakeholders is significant.
The National Farm Animal Council, which the federal government funds revises all the different codes in the different livestock species, while the pork code started negotiations about three years ago. It includes different people around the table including producers, veterinarians, scientists, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies among other groups.
“It’s getting the total value chain at the table discussing the Code of practice and how to raise pigs so I think it’s very significant,” said Vielfaure. “With the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies there, it certainly brings a focus on all aspects of raising pigs including the animal care portion.”
Vielfaure feels producers are relieved to have the new code completed and in place.
“Moving forward, there will be some changes to which producers will have to adapt and now it’s up to producers to look at the final version and see how they can implement the changes,” he said. “I think the vigorous debate around the table among many people for three years produced a positive outcome for everyone including for producers, consumers, and special interest groups. I think we will be in good shape going forward here.”
He says both sides probably think it went too far in certain areas but at the end of the day, they found something that can work for everybody, and hopefully it can improve the animal care for animals.
“I’m sure there will be more pressures going forward on trying to bring those standards even higher but it will be an ongoing thing,” he adds.
Vielfaure, who is the v-p and CEO for HyLife Foods of La Broquerie, MB says the moratorium, or ban on hog expansion in Manitoba makes the code of practice, a national program different for Manitoba hog farmers.
“I don’t know … when but the government will make that decision in the future,” hopes the Manitoba hog producer, but in favour of some building and expansion leniency.
“The hog industry would like to get some leniency as far as being able to build barns because our barns are getting old and will need replacing.”
He thinks there will be a critical point in time where facilities will need replacing.
“We’ve done lots of repairing obviously we hope and we continue to ask and discuss with the government in different ways we would be able to start renovating and fixing barns and building new barns,” said Vielfaure.
When it comes to the PED virus, and still only one farm case in Manitoba, and relatively few across the country, he says the Canadian industry had time to prepare when they heard about this virus breaking in the United States back in April 2013. Certainly a high level of preparedness between the Canadian Swine Health Board educating producers on biosecurity in the last two to three years helped greatly and even further in the last year since the PED breaking in the U.S.
“Our industry understands biosecurity and probably although Ontario has too many cases, it may not have spread as quickly as we thought,” said Vielfaure. “I think because producers are doing things the right way and with the case in Manitoba showing the same thing, it hasn’t spread in a month, is very positive.”
It looks like 2014 will be an exceptional year for hog production and prices and boy it is a blow to the stomach to suddenly get PED virus. So everybody is doing their best to try to contain it and make sure that it doesn’t continue to hurt our industry. •
— By Harry Siemens