Farmscape for August 29, 2011   (Episode 3474)

Pfizer Animal Health reports a product approved last month in Canada to help eliminate boar taint is generating considerable interest.

Pfizer Animal Health has begun the gradual commercial introduction in Canada through a series of pilot projects of IMPROVEST a product that helps eliminate boar taint, an unpleasant odor or flavor that affects the meat so some intact male pigs.

Pfizer Animal Health Team Leader, IMPROVEST, Peter van Vloten notes the product was first approved in Australia about 12 years ago and, through extensive research and commercial use in millions of pigs in 60 countries, has been show effective and safe.

Clip-Peter van Vloten-Pfizer Animal Health:
There's been a lot of interest in IMPROVEST even before registration but certainly now after registration on the part of producers because producers are always interested in production improvements and efficiencies and rearing intact male pigs for most of the grow-finish period provides significant and very important potential efficiencies.

The processors as well are very interested in determining how this technology impacts on their processes and what kind of value this technology can provide both to producers and to the packing industry.

I also wanted to mention that during this pilot phase, as we go through the gradual introduction of IMPROVEST into the Canadian market, Pfizer is very committed to supporting the pork value chain with the implementation of IMPROVEST.

That means working with veterinarians, with producers, nutritionists, extension people, packers to ensure that they implement IMPROVEST successfully and that they gain real benefits from the implementation and the use of IMPROVEST.

For more information on IMPROVEST contact Pfizer Animal Health, your local veterinarian or visit www.boartaint.com.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       * Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council