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Tag Archives biosecurity — page 4

The porcine epidemic diarrhea outbreaks that wreaked havoc on North American hog herds in recent years led to feed component import controls to improve animal health security.
Livestock, News

PED shone light on importance of feed import controls

Studies show viruses can survive long journeys and storage

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Updated Nov. 12, 2021 Before COVID-19, another coronavirus was wreaking havoc in North America, only this one was attacking pigs. This coronavirus causes porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), and is shed in large volumes in the feces and other pigs become infected when they ingest feces-contaminated materials. PED was first detected in the United States in […] Read more
Funding available for African swine fever prevention
Livestock, News

Funding available for African swine fever prevention

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Nearly $3 million in funding for three new initiatives to enhance biosecurity and support the provincial pork sector’s African swine fever (ASF) prevention and emergency preparedness efforts is being made available under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership).  Starting Nov. 5, a new targeted intake will provide funding to Ontario pork producers, processors and other […] Read more
Growers need to pay extra attention to cleaning equipment post-planting to ensure there is no contamination at the elevator or further up the supply chain.
Crops, Machinery

Planting, harvest equipment best kept separate, advisors say

Steps should be taken to prevent treated seed from contaminating harvested grain

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Growers should take extra time at harvest to ensure no treated seed or treatment residue remains in augers, wagons and trucks, according to grain handlers. Otherwise, their grain could be rejected at the elevator or cause problems further up the supply chain. The opportunity for contamination is a growing concern as more acres are planted […] Read more
News

ARMMI to wind down operations

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The Agriculture Response Materials Management Inc. (ARMMI) organization has ceased operations and will distribute the remaining stockpile among the four founding poultry boards.  Incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2008, ARMMI was created out of a response to the SARS outbreak in 2003-2004 that created a shortage of quality biosecurity supplies that affected the livestock industry. Its […] Read more
Mink farms are a major target of animal activists.
Livestock, News

Activist acquittal could set precedent

Ruling won't have any bearing on charges under new trespass act

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Animal activist Malcolm Klimowicz celebrated his criminal charge acquittal with an almost-18-minute video on Facebook. “The fur industry has attempted to punish me for publicizing the rampant animal cruelty I witnessed inside their facilities but now their baseless accusations and plans to make an example of me has backfired,” said Klimowicz. Why it matters: The […] Read more
Wild pigs could be an uncontrollable factor if ever infected with African swine fever.
Livestock, News

Canada, U.S. agree on plan if African swine fever infects wild pigs

Zoning would keep other parts of the North American hog market functioning

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Glacier FarmMedia – Wild pigs are a worry in Canada and the United States for reasons beyond the damage they do to farms, pasture land and ecosystems. They could be an uncontrollable factor if ever infected with African swine fever. Why it matters: African swine fever has devastating effects on swine herds, as shown in […] Read more
The Asian Longhorned tick was first found in North America on a farm in New Jersey. It has not yet been found in Canada.
News

Early reporting and biosafety protocols needed for disease control

Farmers are generally the first to notice emerging infectious diseases and viruses

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Farmers are at the front line of disease identification, a role that’s not always recognized. Why it matters: Infectious diseases pose a risk to animal and human health, farm production and have trade implications.  “I think this year has shown us why we pay attention to infectious diseases,” said Dr. Scott Weese, professor at Ontario […] Read more
Andy Jakubowski, told the Banff Pork Seminar that pigs piling when they were cold told them they had a ventilation problem.
Livestock

Cameras tell the story of animal behaviour

A hog farm finds much can be learned when employees aren’t in a barn

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When looking for answers to problems with barn operations, make sure to ask the pigs. Pillen Family Farms was trying to figure out why its new nursery barns weren’t performing as well as some old ones, so they turned to video cameras as a way to better understand the behaviour of pigs when workers weren’t […] Read more
File photo of a farmed mink. (Konstantin Sokolov/iStock/Getty Images)
Livestock

Canada’s mink farms brace for COVID

Producers have had time to increase biosecurity efforts at the farm level

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Canada’s 40 mink farms are operating under heightened biosecurity requirements after reports of COVID-19 jumping from humans to mink in Europe. Alan Herscovici, an industry spokesperson who operates the website Truthaboutfur.com, said early reports out of Denmark and other European countries gave Canadian producers some time to prepare. “These farms have always had a certain […] Read more
Opinion: Labour crisis is about farm security, not food security
News

Opinion: Labour crisis is about farm security, not food security

Food continues to be abundant, but some farms are under financial pressure due to labour shortages

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The COVID pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated long standing issues with respect to labour in the food system – both on farms and in food processing. This is often presented in the context of a threat to food security but in reality the issue is more critical for farm security than food security. That is, […] Read more

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