Banff Pork Seminar Going Virtual
Registration details have been announced for the 2021 Banff Pork Seminar (BPS). Most important the event is free. However delegates must register ahead of time in order to participate.
“Our decision to go with a virtual conference for 2021 was based on keeping delegates safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Ashley Steeple, Seminar Coordinator. “However, in keeping with our history, we wanted to continue to offer the high quality experience that our in-person events have always provided.”
The 2021 Seminar will be a two day event, held Tuesday Jan. 5 and Thursday Jan. 7.
Program details and the registration link are on the BPS website www.banffpork.ca. Delegates will have the option of watching speaker presentations live or watching later at their convenience.
“This is a unique opportunity for delegates anywhere in Canada or around the world to participate in our renowned Banff Pork Seminar,” says Steeple. “By providing this free of charge we are hoping to help the industry during a difficult time and at the same time ensure that this iconic event continues in the future.”
The 50th anniversary celebration originally scheduled for this year has been delayed to the next in-person event with BPS partner, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, says Steeple. Hopefully that will be in 2022.
The Banff Pork Seminar is coordinated by the Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta, in cooperation with Alberta Pork, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and other pork industry representatives from across Canada.
More complete details will be available in the Inside BPS Special Report which can be accessed by link from the Seminar website www.banffpork.ca. Follow BPS on Twitter @BanffPork. •
Manitoba Swine Seminar
Has been cancelled for 2021. Stay tuned for its return in February 2022. •
Cramer Ag Expo
Keep Thursday February 11th, 2021 open for the annual Cramer Expo in Swift Current, SK.
Registration packages are available. For complete details please check out the website
www.cramereventmanagement.com
As of press time, Cramer Ag Expo has full plans of being held, while following all SASK Health protocols and guidelines. Booths will be distanced, one way directional aisles, hand sanitizing stations, mandatory masks, limited attendance, no on site lunch.
Final decision will be made January 15th if able to hold show or have to cancel due to COVID 19 restrictions. Should the show be cancelled full refunds will be given to exhibitors and sponsors.
Please contact Kelly Turcotte trade show co ordinator at 306. 737.6262 or email kelly_turcotte@hotmail.com. Or contact Doug Cramer at 306.520.3553 or email
cramerexpomgmt@gmail.com •
Canadian Pork Producers Welcome Establishment of Pork Promotion and Research Agency
Pork producers across Canada welcome the announcement of the establishment of the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA) by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Marie-Claude Bibeau this recently.
“The PRA will be an important vehicle for producers – it will help facilitate even greater collaboration across the value chain through increased research and promotion activities. In the long run, it will result in improving the long-term growth and competitiveness of the sector, said Rick Bergmann, Canadian Pork Council Chair. “I would like to thank Minister Bibeau for championing this initiative and moving forward with the establishment of the agency.”
The discussion to establish the agency was initiated by former Canadian Pork Council Chair, Jurgen Preugchas, with a small group of producers. The effort was picked up and actioned by his successor Jean-Guy Vincent and carried to this point by current Chair, Rick Bergmann.
“Producers and provincial organizations from across the country that have been engaged in the creation of the agency are pleased that the vision is finally being realized today”, stated CPC’s Vice Chair Rene Roy.
Individually, through their various provincial groups, Canadian pork producers already fund an extensive series of market promotion, extension services and research activities. Investments in these activities have been critical in enhancing the competitive position of the sector and in raising consumer awareness of the advantages of the nutrient value of pork.
The pork industry believes that the producer-funded PRA, which also receives funds through the collection of a levy on the imports of live pigs and pork meat, is one mechanism that can further strengthen the industry. It is estimated that the fully functioning agency will provide an additional $2 million for research and promotion. •
Pork Council Asks Feds to Prepare for African Swine Fever
The Canadian Pork Council is asking the federal government to invest $50 million to protect from African Swine Fever, explaining that an outbreak here could do $50 billion worth of damage and wipe out family farms.
The government’s budget for last year indicates it set aside $5.6 million for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to deal with the highly-contagious and deadly disease. There is nothing listed for the current fiscal year.
Rick Bergman, president of the Canadian Pork Council, has sent an open letter to Ottawa outlining what will happen if the disease shows up here, as it recently did in Germany.
“First, quarantines will be established, and an eradication plan will be put in place to try and stop the disease. An aggressive eradication effort is core to the plan, but it will require a significant mobilization of resources. The eradication plan alone will cost millions,” he wrote.
He said African Swine Fever would be much worse than Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow’s disease) when it devastated the Canadian beef industry.]
“ . . .because 70 per cent of Canadian-produced pork is exported to countries that would likely close their borders to imports if a case were to be found,” the impact would be much worse for pork than beef, he argued.
Processing would stop, prompting the closure of facilities and ensuing economically devastating job losses, and an animal welfare crisis.
The cost of the cure will be counted in billions. Eradicating the virus, income support for tens of thousands of out-of-work Canadians, aid for the thousands of farm families who will struggle through the fallout will be significant. All of this will need to happen as billions of dollars in economic activity simply disappears,” he wrote.
He said $50 million is needed to “boost biosecurity and traceability, prepare response programming, improve communications, engage with small-scale producers, increase research, and appoint a chief ASF officer.”
Beyond working with the United States and Mexico, Canada has partnered with the provinces and industry groups to come up with an action plan for ASF, investing in the 2019 budget money for detecting illegally imported meats at Canadian airports. •
Sow Crate Ban Deadline Extended
The deadline to ban sow gestation crates has been extended five years to 2029.
The National Farm Animal Council, which sets codes of practice, said it would be too difficult for the industry to complete the transition to loose housing by the original deadline of 2024.
And so the code now says “As of July 1, 2029, mated gilts and sows must be housed in groups or individual pens.”
The council’s report comes after a fifth-anniversary review of the code, and it estimated it costs farmers $500 to $3,500 per sow space, to convert to loose housing.
“The difficulty in obtaining financing required to transition to group housing also poses a barrier to meeting the current requirements,” the report said.
The Canadian Pork Council estimates that by 2019 there were 384,000 of Canada’s 1.25 million sows in group housing. •
— By Jim Rohamn
Partners Continue to Advance Canada’s Pork Industry
University of Alberta professor of Animal Biotechnology Michael Dyck has received new funding through Genome Canada’s Genomics Application Partnership Program (GAPP). He is no stranger to the needs of pig producers and has past experience helping the industry raise healthy pigs in a sustainable manner. The $1 million dollars in total new funding well build on that previous work to bring the research directly to producers.
Genome Alberta has been able to support Michael Dyck’s projects in the past and we are pleased to be able to work with him once again to improve the competitiveness of Canada’s pork industry. His team will be validating the genomic indicators of disease resilience that can be used by commercial pork producers to improve their selective breeding programs.
GAPP-funded projects need end-user support and a key part of this project is another of our strategic partners, PigGen Canada. The not-for-profit organization was formed in 2009 to develop strategies and support for Canadian swine genetics research. They represent most of Canada’s swine breeding organizations and play an important role in advancing the industry’s breeding programs.
Bob Kemp is the co-lead on the new project and a member of PigGen’’ Board of Directors and said, “PigGen Canada is very excited about the outcomes of this project. It provides opportunities to validate important technologies identified in the previous Genome Canada projects and ensure implementation of these important technologies into PigGen Canada member genetic improvement programs focusing on pig health.”
The breeding strategies the project will develop will increase genetic improvement in pig health, reduce antibiotic use, increase the production and competitiveness of pork products, and enhance the competitiveness of Canadian swine genetics.
Project lead Michael Dyck said “We are pleased to be able to continue working with PigGen Canada and its members on this exciting project. The GAPP funding will allow us to confirm the markers and indicator traits of disease resilience that we identified in our previous LSARP project and will help to integrate them into the industry to benefit all levels of the pig and pork production.”
Federal funding is an important part of the total funding package, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry said, “Through investments in genomics – and research more broadly – the Government of Canada is investing in Canada’s economy.”
Bains continues, “This is a great example of Canadian genetic research at work, helping to improve Canada’s standing in the very competitive global marketplace. Research projects like this one have far-reaching impacts in all aspects of Canadians’ day-to-day lives.”
Disease is an economically important factor in Canadian pork production and is one of the most difficult challenges to manage. It also contributes to poor public perception of food animal production in terms of animal welfare, food safety, and antimicrobial resistance. Disease resilience is a quantitative trait defined as an animal’s ability to maintain performance when exposed to pathogen(s). The goal of this project is to validate biological and genomic indicators of disease resilience in commercial pork production that can be measured and implemented in genetic improvement programs. This will involve validating promising disease resilience indicator traits and genomic tests in pigs that are exposed to pathogens in a controlled environment. This is expected to increase the rate of genetic improvement in pig health by 30%, increase the production of high value pork products, and improve the competitiveness in export markets. •
Canada Urged to Diversify Ag Export Markets
Canadian agriculture ought to diversify its export markets, writes J.P. Gervais, chief agricultural economist for Farm Credit Canada.
Now 79 per cent of Canada’s agriculture and food exports go to the United States, magnifying the risks if anything goes wrong.
Increasing food and beverage exports is still one of Canada’s biggest trade opportunities, he said, and diversification will reduce risks.
“When borders close for any number of reasons due to trade tensions or shock caused by disease or weather having a broader range of export markets allows Canadian exports to be re-allocated, rather than reduced,” FCC said in a news release.
The report examines several foods in particular and for pork, it said that beyond China, there are opportunities in Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and Poland.
But there are some challenges with those markets, such as certifying that the pork is free of antimicrobials.
“If you break down all the barriers we have a very competitive pork product in Europe,” Gervais said.
For beef, China passed the U.S. last year to become the largest importer, so there are opportunities there and also in Europe and other Asian countries, Gervais said.
Because some of these markets are tough to crack, Gervais said Farm Credit Canada is helping smaller and medium sized companies to first grow exports to existing customers, Gervais said.
“Then afterwards I am convinced we can see some diversification given the efforts,” he said.
“Diversification almost always entails seeking markets that are further away and more expensive to develop,” the report says.•
— By Jim Rohamn
Olymel Tests all Red Deer employees for COVID-19
In response to the community resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Alberta, Olymel’s management, as a precautionary measure in joint collaboration with Alberta Health Services and UFCW Local 401, announced that a massive testing of all its 1,850 employees was undertaken this morning (November 19) at its hog slaughtering and cutting plant in Red Deer, Alberta. This testing campaign aims to protect the health of the plant’s employees and to identify people who do not show symptoms but could be carriers of the virus.
Olymel is working closely with Alberta Health Services, Occupational Health & Safety officials, and representatives of UFCW Local 401 to organize this massive screening. All partners present in the plant, including the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, are also participating in this preventive effort to reduce and control the spread of the coronavirus. The Red Deer hog slaughtering and cutting plant has been spared from the worst of the pandemic so far and currently has 10 confirmed active cases of COVID-19.
“This testing campaign aims to protect the health of the plant’s employees and to identify people who do not show symptoms but could be carriers of the virus,” Olymel spokesperson Richard Vigneault said in a release.
Olymel invites all employees at its Red Deer plant to remain vigilant during this period of community circulation of the coronavirus. The company asks its employees to carefully and consistently follow the sanitary measures that have been in effect at the Red Deer plant since the start of the pandemic, including declaring any symptoms, disinfecting their hands, wearing masks and face shields, respecting social distancing and observing all sanitary measures recommended when carpooling. •
Note: as of press time no results available on said tests
CFIA Reduces Meat Import Inspections
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reducing import inspections for meat from Australia and New Zealand.
It will be randomly picking out samples from 10 per cent of imports for inspection.
And those companies who already have been identified as “not requiring inspection,” the CFIA will allow their meat to move directly to importer’s warehouses or final destination. •
— By Jim Rohamn
Feds Spending $200 Million to Find Ideas
The federal government is spending $20 million to find bright ideas to reduce food waste.
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced there will be Challenge Streams A and B with a grand prize of $1.5 million for the best idea.
Concept applications with a closing date of January 18 are now open.
Canadians are being challenged to propose concepts that will reduce food waste along the delivery route from farms to meals.
Applications will be judged in stages by an external group of subject matter experts will recommend which applicants move to the following stage and receive funding. For Challenge Streams A and B, at the last stage, one winner per stream will be awarded a grand prize of up to $1.5M.
At each stage of the Challenge, “an external group of subject matter experts will recommend which applicants move to the following stage and receive funding. For Challenge Streams A and B, at the last stage, one winner per stream will be awarded a grand prize of up to $1.5M,” the government news release said.
“Funding will be awarded to those whose innovative solutions have the potential of reducing the most amount of food waste, with a focus on new innovators looking to accelerate and grow their solutions and who may not have the necessary resources.” In the spring a second set of Challenge Stream C and D to “support technologies that can extend the life of food or transform food that would otherwise be lost or wasted.” •
— By Jim Rohamn
Swine Nutrition
Companies Unite to Support Producer
Bringing together enhanced resources to support swine producers across Canada and into the U.S. is the focus of a new partnership between two innovation-focused nutrition companies.
Nutrition Athena Inc, which is a division of Groupe Ceres Inc., and Nutrition Partners Inc. have announced they have united under a new integrated ownership model. The enhanced structure is designed to optimize value and services for customers of both companies, including via a strong emphasis on swine nutrition expertise, resources and strategies.
The swine nutrition team under the new structure features strong depth and experience, he notes, combining the Nutrition Partners swine nutrition group led by Jan Geurts with the Groupe Cérès / Nutrition Athena swine nutrition team led by Dan Bussières.
The new arrangement ensures that Hylife, through its relation with Groupe Ceres/ Nutrition Athena, remains a partner in Nutrition Partners including providing support via people and research. •
Swine Flu Jumps
to Albertan
An influenza strain that is common in pigs, but extremely rare in humans, sickened a man in Alberta in mid-October.
He is only the 27th person in the world to be sickened by H1N2 virus since 2005, Alberta officials said. It is caused by Type A influenza.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said in a joint statement Wednesday with Dr. Keith Lehman, chief provincial veterinarian, that “this currently appears to be one isolated case and there is no increased risk to Albertans at this time. This is the only influenza case reported in Alberta so far this flu season.”
Lehman said about 10 to 30 cases of this flu show up in Alberta’s pig population every quarter and said the pigs often have no signs of clinical disease and most cases are mild. • — By Jim Rohamn
Another Swine Virus Alert
The University of North Carolina is urging workers in the hog-farming industry to be aware that a virus that originated in hogs in China could jump to people.
It’s acute diarrhea virus that is deadly to young pigs and is known as SADS-CoV.
The university learned in laboratory research that the virus can grow in human airway and intestinal cells, but they also learned that remdiservir is effective in treating it.
Remdiservir is one of the experimental drugs that United States President Donald Trump took after being infected with COVID-19.
SADS-CoV causes severe diarrhea and vomiting and has been especially deadly to young piglets, the university said.
“We recommend that both swine workers and the swine population be continually monitored for indications of SADS-CoV infections to prevent outbreaks and massive economic losses,” the university said . •
— By Jim Rohamn
Canada Emergency Business Account
The federal government has announced that businesses, including farming operations, operating out of non-business banking accounts are now able to access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) by opening a business account. To be eligible, businesses must have been operating as a business as of March 1, 2020, must successfully open a business account at a Canadian financial institution that is participating in CEBA, and must meet other CEBA eligibility criteria. The extended deadline to apply for CEBA is December 31, 2020.
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada provides more details specific to agriculture, noting that the changes will allow an estimated additional 36,566 farms nationwide to access CEBA, for a total of over 67,000 eligible farms across Canada. Each farmer can access up to $40,000 in interest-free loans which, if paid off by the end of 2022, entitles the farmer up to $10,000 of that amount to be forgiven.
For more information on human resources and training during COVID-19, visit manitobapork.com and contact Janice Goldsborough, Manitoba Pork’s Human Resources & Training Coordinator, at 204-471-6530 or jgoldsborough@manitoba.com. •
