Farmscape for June 25, 2013

The vice chair of Manitoba Pork Council is encouraging pork producers to review changes proposed to Canada's Pig Code of Practice and express any concerns they may have.
The National Farm Animal Care Council released its proposed updated Pig Code of Practice June 1, triggering a 60 day public comment period.
Yesterday in Steinbach Manitoba Pork Council hosted the first of two producer information sessions to outline the proposed changes and explain the public comment process and is hosting a second session today in Portage La Prairie.
Manitoba Pork Council vice chair Rick Bergmann says now is the time for producers to review the proposed changes and participate in the public comment process.

Clip-Rick Bergmann-Manitoba pork Council:
One of the changes is, I would say, there would be more requirements versus in the past there were recommendations so that would be more of an adjustment than what there was in the past.
I would say the four areas that would be bringing up most discussion and concern would be discussion around sow housing, space requirements for the livestock, pain mitigation and euthanization as well.
One of the comments was that, by far, the majority of the code is something that can be adapted to relatively easily.
The percentage was about 80 percent that was quite easily adaptable to.
There's issues and concerns around space requirements as well as sow housing.
There was a lot of discussion about sow housing, whether or not producers would need to make adjustments on their farms as far as the form of housing they have for their sows.

Bergmann stresses by participating in the public comment process producers have an opportunity to help mold the future.
For more information on the proposed updated Pig Code of Practice or to submit comments visit the National Farm Animal Care Council web site at NFACC.Ca.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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