The Manitoba Pork Council is inviting more hog farms to join its program that monitors the use of antimicrobials.
About 50 farms registered with the program in its first year, with data being analyzed from 2019 and the council hopes to double participation to about 100 farms.
The Manitoba Pork Council hopes data collected through the program will lower farm cost, improve antibiotic usage practices and signal the industry’s stewardship commitment.
Cam Dahl, the council’s general manager, said the program involves veterinarians who will co-operate with farmers to collect and report data from last year. The program covers up to $400 of veterinarians’ costs.
According to a 2018 report from the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS), Canada is using about twice as much antimicrobials as Europe. It’s a measure of how much is used per animal.
“There’s work to be done there,” said council president Rick Préjet.
“A lot of countries have reduced their usage and are doing quite well and, you know, not seeing major health issues, so (it’s) something we need to keep on working on.”
