Thursday, February 12, 2015

Another $1.6 million from feds for PigTrace

The federal government is investing another $1.6 million in PigTrace, the traceability program for Canada’s pork industry.

It’s also adding $351,000 to the more than $29 million provided to the Canadian Swine Health Board to address the threat from diseases such as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus.

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced the funding at the Canada Pork International annual meeting in Toronto this week.

“Today’s announcement will go a long way in helping the pork industry continue its implementation of a world class traceability system and making traceability a feasible and valuable tool for Canadian producers,” said Norman Martineau, chairman of the Canada Pork Council’s Traceability Implementation Committee.

 The federal government made hog traceability mandatory last July 1.

The $29 million for addressing hog health, including measures to stop the spread of PED, included biosecurity training.


More than 90 per cent of Certified Quality Assurance hog production sites across Canada received training on the Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard to increase awareness and encourage producers to implement best management practices and manage disease risks on farm, says a news release from the federal agriculture department.