Alberta Pork Congress Cancelled
The 46th annual Alberta Pork Congress will was scheduled in the new Exhibition Hall at Westerner Park in Red Deer June 10th & 11th, has been cancelled.
As we continue to learn more about the COVID-19 pandemic and monitor the global situation, the Board of Directors of the Alberta Pork Congress have come to a critical decision point. As this unprecedented global crisis unfolds in the coming weeks and months it is vitally important to us that everyone is safe, we want to ensure we do not put anyone at risk and make certain that we are not contributing to the further spread of the virus. Therefore, we conclude this can only be achieved by cancelling the 2020 Alberta Pork Congress.
This decision has been incredibly difficult and comes only through intense consultation and discussion. We have reviewed all alternative options and postponing is not viable. With the Alberta Government declaring a public health emergency and enacting restrictions on all gatherings over 15 people, travel, social distancing and isolation are paramount at this time.
Mark your calendars for June 9th & 10th, 2021. Any questions please contact Kyla in the office at 403.244.7821 or email kyla@albertaporkcongress.com •

World Pork Expo Cancelled
World Pork Expo was scheduled to take place in Des Moines, Iowa June 3-5.
It was announced Monday March 30 that will be cancelled for 2020. •

Ontario Pork Congress
The annual Ontario Pork Congress will be held in Stratford June 17th & 18th. As of print deadline the OPC had not yet been cancelled.
Details available on their website at
porkcongress.on.ca •

Alberta Livestock Expo
The fourth Alberta Livestock Expo will take place at Exhibition Park in Lethbridge October 7 & 8.
More details and information will be available in the June edition. •

Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop
Mark your calendars for the annual Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop, which will take pace Wednesday October 21st.
Watch future issues for more details and information. •

Saskatchewan Pork Symposium
Saskatchewan Industry Pork Symposium will be held in Saskatoon November 3 & 4.
Watch future issues for more details and information. •

Prairie Livestock Expo
The Victoria Inn and Conference Centre will be host for the Prairie Livestock Expo Wednesday December 9th
Watch future issues for more details and information. •

Feds Give Farm Credit Canada $5 Billion
Part of the federal government’s responses to COVID-10 is $5 billion for Farm Credit Canada.
It is normal for FCC to allow borrowers to pause loan repayments during times of crisis.
Advance payment loans that fall due in April will now be granted a six-month extension.
The national association representing restaurant owners is asking politicians to enact measures to suspend evictions for failure to pay rent.
It said rent is usually the largest bill restaurants face.
It also asked for an increase in the 10 per cent government subsidy for employees.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pleading – almost ordering – Canadians to stay home because anybody who picks up the virus can then pass it along to others.
He said it’s foolish for people to believe they are healthy enough to survive the disease because the issue is that they can infect many others. •
— By Jim Romahn

Olymel Shuts Quebec Hog Plant
Olymel has sent about 1,000 employees home, shutting its plant at Yamachiche, QC for 14 days, “due to the growing number of cases of COVID-19 among plant employees, which has reached nine,” the company said in a news release.
Olymel said it “will offer its employees all the help and information they need in order to benefit from the government’s current financial assistance programs.” •
— By Jim Romahn

African Swine Fever Genome Unveiled
Scientists from The Pirbright Institute have worked with University College London to map the expression of genes across the entire African swine fever virus (ASF) genome.
They have learned that different genes are working when infection begins than when it’s well established and the virus is preparing to invade new animals.
The research could provide vital information for those developing vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent the deadly pig disease caused by this virus.
In their study, published in the Journal of Virology, the researchers used next generation sequencing to create the first complete genetic road map.
ASFV has a very large DNA genome – between 150 and 190 compared with eight for influenza.
“Our study helps to untangle which genes are important during different stages of infection to better understand their functions”, said Dr. Linda Dixon, head of the African Swine Fever Virus group at Pirbright. •
— By Jim Romahn

Trade Announcement
CAFTA (Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance) welcomes commitments to maintain trade flows and establish contingency appeal arrangement for trade disputes
Dan Darling, President of CAFTA, issued the following response to a recent joint statement from the governments of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Myanmar, New Zealand and Singapore affirming their commitment to keeping trade lines open, as well as news today that Canada and 15 WTO members are establishing a contingency appeal arrangement for trade disputes.
“As nations grapple with COVID-19 and its dramatic economic fallout, we welcome commitments by trading partners to keep trade lines open and refrain from imposing tariffs and non-tariff barriers thereby ensuring robust and resilient global supply chains remain operational.
“On behalf of Canadian agri-food exporters, which include a substantial portion of the supply chain currently under immense pressure, it is encouraging to see nations working together to ensure that cross-border trade continues to flow, and we urge Canada to continue this work with our key international trading partners to secure similar commitments.
“We’re also pleased to see that Canada and 15 other members of the WTO have established an interim arrangement to hear appeals and resolve disputes between trading partners. We welcome the progress to return some certainty and certainty to global trade rules three months after the paralysis of the WTO Appellate Body. It is important that we have assurance that trade rules are respected. Given the vital role the WTO’s dispute settlement system plays for Canadian exporters, we are hopeful that the full functionality of the Appellate Body is soon restored.
“While governments are rightly focused on fighting the spread of COVID-19, we must also recognize that unequivocal global coordinated efforts will be required post-pandemic to jump-start the engines of our economies for recovery to take root. History has proven that cutting tariffs, removing barriers, and facilitating the unfettered flow of trade can help spur growth and restore confidence for global economic recovery. As the head of the WTO recently stated, it will be important that countries tap into each other’s growth which will help economies recover more quickly than if we try to act alone.
“These announcements this week demonstrate that in times of crisis working together is the best option and that trade policy can and must be part of the solution.” •

Bonuses
Olymel and Sofina Foods have joined Maple Leaf Foods in offering workers more money to keep slaughter plants operating during the coronavirus pandemic.
They have also introduced new safety protocols and Olymel added medical professionals to help implement directives from public health officials.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is asking its inspectors to be vigilant about maintaining their daily health and to stay home if they have any symptoms of COVID-19.
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the CFIA is asking recently retired inspectors to come back to work because they may be needed.
Agricultural economist Dr. Al Mussell has noted that the CFIA inspectors are also needed to clear shipments for export.
About 70 per cent of Canadian pork is exported, and if that can’t happen the impact on Canadian hog prices would be huge. •
— By Jim Romahn

COVID-19 Requires New Food Policies
Canadians involved in food production and distribution need to be talking to each other to work out flexible plans to cope with the spread of COVID-19, say the agricultural economists at Agri-Food Economic Systems.
One of the major challenges will be employee absenteeism, they say, including Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors, truckers, etc.
In some cases, large processing plants be shut down if workers turn up with COVID-19. The economists point to the closure of the Toyota assembly plant in Cambridge when one of about 2,009 employees tested positive.
If a large meat-packing plant, for example, shuts down if, for example, there are no CFIA inspectors available, livestock will need to find another plant for slaughter. That means longer-distance trucking, so they say the government should temporarily suspend new regulations requiring shorter travel times without stops for water and rest.
They note that plant closures have already begun to occur in Brazil in some meat plants due to Covid-19; the fear of this occurring in the US appears to have roiled livestock futures markets. The effects of a plant closure could back up very quickly to the farm level in terms of much lower pricing and animal welfare considerations.
They recommend that all employers establish a pool of back-up workers so they can cope with absenteeism. It also means stripping work to the essentials so operations can continue with fewer staff.
“Similarly, it would be prudent for CFIA and provincial inspection agencies to recruit and train auxiliary staff to work under inspectors to build redundancy immediately,” they say.

With restaurants closing, the foodservice industry has a backup of supplies, so that supply chain needs to change to divert food to where it’s needed.
Farmers may experience difficulties getting supplies for spring planting, they say, pointing to the situation in China where some say the farming sector completely collapsed for a while because seed, fertilizer and fuel could not be delivered. The availability of truckers could be an issue for Canadians, they say.
“There is a need for a continuously operating dialogue among governments, industry leaders in all aspects of the agri-food chain, with policy research capacity attached to it,” they say.
“The dialogue must lead to the setting of priorities, immediate, short term, intermediate term, and long term/recovery.
“Governments will require continuous interaction with a wide range of people from involved industries, with their breadth of knowledge, to make this effective.” •
— By Jim Romahn

Feed Quarantines Work Against African Swine Fever
Quarantining feed ingredients from China in warm conditions and treating the feed with chemicals commonly used in livestock feeds will greatly reduce the risk of introducing African Swine Fever in North America, says Dr. Scott Dee of Pipestone Applied Research.
He said Canada requires a quarantine for imported Chinese feed ingredients, such as vitamins and organic soybeans, and he wants the U.S. to follow suit.
Dee is the researcher who found that Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus can survive and spread in animal feeds and now he has done the same for African Swine Fever in trials at Kansas State University.
He said some Chinese practices make the spread of African Swine Fever likely to continue. For example, it’s common to spread grain on the ground and drive trucks over to crack the kernels. The virus can spread on truck tires.
“I expect that there will be another episode of the disease in 2020,” he said.
“This will be unlike the original epidemic when the national herd was naïve to the virus, but with the virus still present and circulating in pigs across the country, re-stocking with ASF-negative animals taking place already and no proven vaccines available, there is a high risk of another large outbreak.
“Add to this scenario the pork in cold storage that is being released periodically – a lot of this is likely to be contaminated if frozen before ASF was confirmed in the country – and this is all dry kindling for the fire.
“In Europe the virus is moving further west: Germany and Denmark are on high alert and are trying to prevent the movement of wild boar but really, I think Europe need to put more focus on contaminated feed.
“In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, I believe the implementation of mandatory quarantine protocol and controlling import of risky products will keep the disease out – I think this is definitely achievable,” Dee said. •
— By Jim Romahn

Canadian Meat Inspection Flaws Detailed
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has some shortcomings, according to a report by inspectors from the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture.
The report, filed in December, 2018, and released under Access to Information, said that “FSIS auditors identified deficiencies due to inadequate enforcement of sanitation standards operating practices and sanitation performance standards requirements by CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) personnel.”
The report also said “auditors identified deficiencies related to HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) design, monitoring and recordkeeping.”
It also said the CFIA “had not identified deficiencies nor documented deficiencies that could lead to potential unsanitary conditions affecting all audited establishments.”
The CFIA complained that the FSIS auditors should have said “some”, not “all”, audited plants.
The FSIS findings have been heavily censored, in some cases blocking out whole page-long descriptions of the auditors’ findings.
All of the FSIS findings are accompanied by CFIA comments, most of them simply citing what Canadian regulations and operating procedures require.
The FSIS has been auditing Canadian packing plants and CFIA labs for more than 50 years.
In the 1970s, scores of Canadian plants were banned from exporting meat to the United States because they failed to meet Canadian Food Inspection Agency standards.
After decades of deficiencies, the federal government transferred CFIA inspection from the agriculture to the health department in October, 2013. •
— By Jim Romahn

Swine Dysentery Re-emerging
Swine dysentery is emerging again in herds in Canada and even moreso in Europe, warns Dr. Matthew Costa, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota.
In the past it has been effectively controlled by adding Carbacox, an antibiotic, to rations for finisher pigs.
Costa said antibiotics are the only defense because there is no vaccine for swine dysentery.
There have, however, been restrictions on routine use of antibiotics as feed additives and there have been restrictions on the use of some antibiotics in agriculture, all aimed at reducing the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
A veterinarian can still prescribe antibiotics to treat the disease.
Costa said this time swine dysentery is a bit different than in the past when bloody diarrhea was the obvious symptom.

Now the symptoms can be more gradual, such as the color of feces turning green, then red, and the consistency from watery to mucoid (like the mucus in clumps of snot).
Dr. Costa is conducting research to identify the strains involved in these outbreaks and to determine if an outbreak requires the presence of more than one bacteria and, if so, which ones.
Previous trials have indicated that swine dysentery bacteria on its own will not sicken healthy pigs.

Sow Diets Impact Litters
Sow diets supplemented with copper and vitamins A and D result in better litters, trials conducted by Jacques Matte have shown at the federal agriculture research station at Sherbooke, Que.
“Supplementing copper and vitamins A and D increased the weight of the newborn piglets and reduced the weight difference between piglets in the same litter,” according to a report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“At weaning, the composition of their microbiota improved. With weight gain and enhanced immunity due to more beneficial bacteria in the microbiota, the piglets’ disease resistance and growth potential were enhanced.”
As for piglets, Matte found “the best way to increase copper and vitamins A and D in piglets during lactation is through oral supplementation and exposure to certain types of artificial radiation.
“Repeated UVB (ultra-violet band) radiation during lactation appears to be the only treatment that allows a gradual and continuous increase of vitamin D in piglets’ blood, which doubles in comparison to that of control piglets who are weaned at 21 days old,” he wrote.
“This improvement in the amount of copper and vitamins A and D in piglets ends with weaning and cessation of supplementation.
“During and after weaning, bovine colostrum is the best supplement to give to light-weight piglets to improve their growth and quality of their microbiota.” •
— By Jim Romahn

Covid-19 May Cause Shortage of Labour in NA Pork Sector
Although pigs are not directly impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the global pandemic does affect swine production in a multitude of different ways. In the USA and Canada, like in many other places in the world, society lockdowns cause a sudden shortage of foreign workers. How are the countries’ swine businesses dealing with this?
Each year in the United States and Canada, tens of thousands of temporary foreign workers are brought in to work in meat processing plants and on farms. This year, due to Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), there are serious concerns that the same number of workers will not be allowed to enter, putting food production, business survival and food security at risk in these 2 countries.
Temporary foreign worker situation
in Canada
Similar problems exist on the other side of the border. Jean-Michel Laurin, president & CEO of the Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors Council provided some insight on the national temporary foreign worker situation in the context of Covid-19.
Laurin reported that discussions last held among the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, the Quebec farmer’s union and Agriculture & Agri-food Canada (AAFC) relating to strict protocols to which AAFC expects all farming and food processing sectors to adhere with regard to foreign workers this year.
These protocols likely include medical screening before and after the flight to Canada, private transportation to accommodations and a 14-day quarantine period. Laurin said there may also be the opportunity for foreign workers now in Canada to extend their stay if they are willing and able to do so. •
— Source Pig Progress