The BC commercial hog industry is nearly extinct but there are still a lot of pork producers in the province.
Although only 16 producers are registered with the BC Hog Marketing Commission, Canadian Pork Council executive director John Ross told the combined BCHMC and BC Pork Producers Association annual meeting the CPC believes there are 912 pork producers in BC.
“This is people who have a premises ID with Pig Trace and have reported at least one hog movement in the past three years,” Ross explained, adding most of those people have produced only one or two hogs.
Even if they produce more hogs than that, they are definitely small producers as any BC farmer who markets more than 300 hogs/year must register with and pay levies to the commission.
Pig Trace is one component of the new Canadian Pork Excellence (CPE) program, the other two being Pig Safe (food safety) and Pig Care (animal care).
The CPC is planning a “soft” launch of CPE in August followed by an official launch next January. Anyone who moves pigs in Canada must be registered with Pig Trace, but only registered producers have to adhere to the entire CPE program. The CPC is now printing the CPE manuals after piloting the program on 73 farms in seven provinces last fall. Three BC farms, each with a different production system, participated in the pilot. Ross notes CPE builds on the Canadian Quality Assurance program (now renamed Pig Safe) which has been in effect for several years.
“We expanded and updated the program to keep up with our competitors in the US,” he explained, noting the program will use validators but not third party auditors. Given the size of the commercial hog sector, BC only has one dedicated swine veterinarian: Dr. Josh Waddington of Greenbelt Veterinary Services in Chilliwack. Waddington will therefore act as the CPE validator in BC. Although he may not advise producers during a validation visit, he is not only available to advise producers at other times but provide that advice at no cost. That’s because BC Pork has also contracted him to deliver the province’s On-Farm Swine Health & Welfare Program.
Dr. Chris Byra began the program in 2015 with funding from the BCHMC market development fund. Waddington took it over after Byra retired last year. The program provides up to two complimentary on-farm visits/year to registered producers. During those visits, Waddington will review the farm’s production and health parameters, advise on leading production and welfare practices and help the farm comply with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs.
Waddington also conducts semi-annual slaughter checks at three abattoirs, using the data he collects to provide benchmark reports for the entire industry and individualized reports for each producer. Waddington also contributes BC disease data to the national Swine Health Surveillance Program, which Byra continues to run.
“It’s a valuable tool and I will continue to contribute to it,” Waddington told producers.
Thankfully, says BCPPA president Jack DeWit, Waddington did not have to report any PED outbreaks in BC last year even though the devastating disease was rampant throughout the Prairies.
DeWit and BCHMC chair Bert van Dalfsen said the BCHMC and BCPPA have started working on a marketing project in hopes of improving producer returns.
“We have been visiting with processors and looking for some projects we can do as a complete value chain involving producers, processors and retailers,” van Dalfsen said.
He also announced that Mike Wallis has stepped down as manager of BC Pork and is being replaced by Christine Koch. Although the change was to take effect April 1st, it actually occurred in mid-March as a health emergency forced Wallis to leave earlier than expected. •
— By David Schmidt
