The new Provincial Animal Welfare System (PAWS) is having little impact on farmers, judging by comments Sara Munoz of PAWS made at a meeting in Elora of hog producers from Waterloo, Wellington, Simcoe, York, Grey, Bruce and Dufferin.
Only about four per cent of the 18,000 complaints people filed with the agency were about farmers, she said.
And when inspectors respond to a complaint about a hog, beef, dairy of poultry farmer, they take along somebody from their provincial commodity association. Often the farmer’s veterinarian is also involved.
And they use the national codes of practice as a guide in judging whether livestock or poultry are being abused.
She said so far PAWS has been focussed on pet shops and aquariums when it comes to spot checking for violations. There has been no spot checking for agriculture where PAWS is relying on complaints.
Stewart Cressman of New Dundee asked if there have been cases of neighbours using PAWS to punish neighbouring farmers they don’t like. Munoz said that’s always a risk.
Dr. Lee Anne Huber of the University of Guelph reported on trials to determine whether increasing lysine levels for gilt and sow rations has benefits for mammary development and milk production.
So far the trials have shown a moderate response in gilts but none in sows, nor any increase in the weight of pigs born. Now she is going to look into impacts on milk production and sow body scores at the end of lactation.
She said that on her family’s farm, they top-dress sow rations with full-fat soybeans.
