Résultats de recherche

BUILDINGS & ENVIRONMENT By understanding and implementing sustainable practices, we safeguard natural resources, reduce environmental impact, and enhance long-term profitability. Investments in environmental sciences support a prosperous future for pork farmers and a sustainable legacy for generations to come. ​ View environment and sustainability projects supported by SIP since 2010 in the factsheets below. Advancing the Canadian swine sector through environmental footprint analyses Mario Tenuta, University of Manitoba Status: Ongoing. Results are expected in 2022. FACT SHEET Investigation of strategies to mitigate accelerated deterioration of pig buildings Bernardo Predicala, Prairie Swine Centre Status: Completed in 2018. FACT SHEET Development of an innovative air cleaning system for swine buildings Stephane Lemay, IRDA Status: Completed in 2013. FACT SHEET

< Community Wire Next Article> Addition of Fibre Provides Balance in Diets of Developing Gilts Bruce Cochrane 16 Feb 2024 Dr. Lee-Anne Huber discusses the value of adding fibre to the diets of gestating gilts. 00:00 / 02:50 Farmscape for February 16, 2024 A multi-institutional team of scientists has shown the inclusion of fibre in the diets of developing gilts helps provide the nutritional balance that will avoid over conditioning without hindering the development of mammary tissues. Research aimed at improving the mammary development of gilts, conducted as part of Swine Cluster 3, is highlighted in Swine Innovation Porc's 2022-2023 annual report. Dr. Lee-Anne Huber, an associate professor specializing in swine nutrition, in the Department of Animal Biosciences at the University of Guelph, says we know that piglet growth is directly related to milk production and milk production is driven by mammary development so the goal was to find nutritional strategies to maximise mammary development. Quote-Dr. Lee-Anne Huber-University of Guelph: The first phase of mammary development occurs between 90 days of age and puberty. How we feed the gilts will influence their mammary development and their lifetime potential for milk production. On one hand we want to have those gilts growing quickly and supplying enough nutrients for that growth but if they grow too fast during the development period, that will lead to feet and leg problems later on in the reproductive herd and possibly early culling. On the other hand, if we restrict feed to slow down growth of the animals, we've shown that mammary development is also reduced and also subsequent milk production. We're trying to balance between having the gilts grow but not too fast but not restrict them too much. Since gilts are typically housed in groups in the gilt development unit and they have ad libitum access to feed in the first place, it's extremely difficult to try and restrict their growth by restricting the amount of feed that is supplied. Fibre is an attractive approach because it increases gut fill, it makes you feel full. That's why we eat high fibre diets when we're trying to lose weight, and reduces caloric intake while animals are still offered feed ad libitum. Dr. Huber says providing a high fibre diet was effective in controlling body size and body fatness at the time of breeding and mammary development was not negatively affected. For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

< Community Wire Next Article> Scientists Seek Alternatives to Antibiotics for Growth Promotion Bruce Cochrane 11 Aug 2023 Dr. Dominic Poulin-Laprade discusses research aimed at improving piglet health and performance through dietary supplementation 00:00 / 02:43 Farmscape for August 11, 2023 A scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says new rules governing antibiotic use in feed have heightened the need to find alternatives. As part of research, funded by Swine Innovation Porc, scientists compared the performance of piglets fed a control diet consisting of 35 percent naked oats to diets supplemented with various combinations of bovine colostrum, medium-chain fatty acids and yeast extract and to diets supplemented with the antibiotic chlortetracycline. Dr. Dominic Poulin-Laprade, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says the abrupt dietary and environmental changes at weaning have many detrimental consequences on the piglets' health. Quote-Dr. Dominic Poulin-Laprade-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: At the time of weaning piglets will transition from lactation to a solid grain-based diet. In addition to this feeding transition, piglets are separated from the sows and are introduced into a new pen where they must establish the hierarchal order again. Weaning is intensely stressful for the piglets that still have an immature intestinal immune system and microbiota resulting in numerous physiological, immunological and microbiological changes causing reduced animal performance, increased susceptibility to enteric infections and, in some cases, mortality. To reduce the effect of weaning, cases of infection and important economic losses producers and veterinarians use in-feed antibiotics. Canada and many other countries have banned the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion making the research for alternative growth promoters a crucial need. Many research teams are studying the potential of feeding supplements as alternatives to the use of in-feed antibiotics. However little research has focussed on formulating specific feeds for the preweaning period to facilitate the transition during the weaning period by increasing the pre and postweaning feed intake. Dr. Poulin-Laprade acknowledges the supplements tested in this study fell short of mimicking the animal performance obtained using prophylactic antibiotics. For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

< Community Wire Next Article> Researchers Apply Techniques Used in Human Medicine to Preventing Strep suis in Pigs Bruce Cochrane 13 Nov 2023 Dr. Mariela Segura with the University of Montreal discusses application of vaccine technology used in human medicine to protect pigs against Streptococcus suis. 00:00 / 02:50 Farmscape for November 13, 2023 The Canada Research Chair in Immunology of Infectious Diseases with the University of Montreal says a new synthetic sugar-based vaccine being developed to guard against Streptococcus suis offers the potential to improve animal welfare, reduce the economic losses associated with the pathogen and reduce the use of antibiotics. Researchers with the University of Montreal and the University of Alberta, with funding provided by Swine Innovation Porc, have linked a synthetic sugar derived from the coating that protects Streptococcus suis to a protein, enabling the pig's immune system to recognize the pathogen. Dr. Mariela Segura, the Canada Research Chair in Immunology of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Center in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal says this is the first time this approach to vaccine development has been used in veterinary medicine. Quote-Dr. Mariela Segura-University of Montreal: What we used is something that has been used only once in human medicine but it's a concept that was there. So, we translated a tool developed for human medicine to be applied for the first time in veterinary medicine and in swine production. So, it will be applied as a vaccine formulation to protect piglets from Streptococcus suis disease and whom will be the veterinarians that will be providing the vaccine program to swine producers. There are two major benefits. First animal welfare and of course this will translate into less economic losses to swine production. And the second major benefit is the reduction in the use of antimicrobials and a reduction in antimicrobial resistance so this will have a major impact not only in swine production and in the animals but also in terms of public health. Dr. Segura says one of prototype vaccines showed a very strong protective capacity, demonstrating the approach is sound and the next step is to optimize the production system and to develop an optimal formulation. She says this approach is also applicable to other pathogens for which better vaccines are needed and for those which there are currently no vaccines available. For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

< Back Nutrition, Animal Health Food Fight: Using Nursery Diets to Battle a Leading Pig Disease Can low complexity diets lead to healthier pigs and profits? As if low hog prices and rising feed costs weren’t enough for pork producers, how about a serious bloodstream infection that strikes almost every farm in Canada? Disease caused by Streptococcus suis is one of the most important health problems in nursery pigs. It is both widespread and highly damaging, resulting in meningitis, arthritis, endocarditis - a life-threatening inflammation of the heart’s inner lining - and sudden death. Add in that it’s likely the number one reason for antibiotic use in these animals, and the threat becomes very real, very quickly. The High Cost of High Stress Just as stress is a threat to humans, it can be devastating for weaned pigs. In addition to separation from the sow, a change in setting and the presence of greater pig density, the diet shifts from liquid milk to solids. These stressors create the perfect environment for bacteria like Streptococcus suis to thrive. Most pigs carry different types of this bacteria in their tonsils and nasal cavity, and while some pigs suffer serious illness or death from specific types of the pathogen, others avoid sickness altogether. Researchers have looked at possible causes of those differing reactions, citing immune system variations and protection conferred on pigs by the sow. One of the promising areas to target in fighting this disease, however, may be right in front of the pig’s snout: diet. Feeding the Need for Solutions Given that feed is the greatest expense for producers, comprising two-thirds of their cost of production, a lower priced diet that can also fend off a deadly pathogen would be a win-win. As a means of combatting post-weaning stress, most farms use a diet that is rich in both quality and quantity of key ingredients. Like dinner at a 5-star restaurant, high-quality meals come with a higher price tag. With that in mind, scientists examined lower complexity diets, using plant-based protein sources like soybean in place of animal sources such as plasma or fishmeal. In this project, pigs were divided into two groups. While one group received a high cost, high complexity diet similar to the standard regime on farm today, the other was fed a low cost, low complexity diet. After infecting both groups with Streptococcus suis, the study brought a surprising result: Pigs fed the lower complexity diet were more resistant to the disease. Passing the Acid Test At first, researchers had trouble replicating those results at the farm level. This could be due to several factors, such as pigs mixing and animals getting varying amounts of feed. Fortunately for producers, the problem was solved with an increase in the functional amino acid component of the diet. Again, pigs were broken into groups. When compared to very complex diets or ones low in amino acids, the group that received a low complexity, low-cost diet, along with a higher number of amino acids, showed greater resistance to disease caused by Streptococcus suis. Of significance to end users, this result held true both in the lab and in the barn. A Strong Benefits Package In a business where cash is king, any cost-saving opportunity is a welcome one, and this project offers a number of them. By using the low-complexity diet, producers stand to save $2-3 per pig in feed expense. Equally important, animals will gain the same amount of weight on both the “high” and “low” diets by the end of the nursery period, so there are no hidden costs to saving on feed. Additionally, healthy pigs mean fewer dollars spent on disease treatment and prevention, and less need for antibiotics. At a time when antimicrobial resistance is a growing concern for human health, addressing that concern builds more trust with consumers in Canadian pork products. Teaming Up and Moving On Like many research projects that find success, this one was the product of collaboration. Performed at the University of Guelph (U of G), it was led by Dr. Vahab Farzan (U of G), Dr. Dan Columbus (Prairie Swine Centre) and Dr. Martin Nyachoti (University of Manitoba). From here, scientists hope to follow up on another finding from this project. During their on-farm study, they noted that pigs fed the low complexity diet had a greater incidence of diarrhea than those on the “high” regime. This might be a result of more fiber in the less complex diet, but it has prompted an interest in investigating how a low complexity diet may alter the bacterial content of the gut for pigs. Background Project Title: Development of innovative strategies to reduce feed costs in the post-weaning period while maintaining optimal performance and health. Lead(s)/Co-Lead(s): Dr. Vahab Farzan (university of Guelph) Budget: $348 120 Research Methods To determine how and when to infect the pigs with Streptococcus, they were divided into four groups. One group was infected orally, one nasally, one both ways, and one was not infected at all, to act as the control group. The group infected both ways was most likely to die from the infection. For the amino acid test, pigs were infected orally and nasally and divided into two groups. One group received the standard level of amino acids in their diet, while the other was fed a higher level of amino acids. The pigs that were given more amino acids, along with a low complexity diet, were more resistant to disease caused by Streptococcus suis.

< Community Wire Next Article> Surprising Discoveries Could Lead to New Antiviral Drugs to Combat PRRS Bruce Cochrane 26 Jul 2023 Dr. Carl Gagnon discusses interactions between PRRS and other disease-causing pathogens 00:00 / 02:44 Farmscape for July 26, 2023 A surprising discovery related to the interactions between Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus and other infectious agents may lead to new antiviral drugs to fight PRRS. PRRS virus causes respiratory problems in pigs of all ages, reproductive problems in sows and costs the Canadian swine sector about 150 million dollars per year. With funding from Swine Innovation Porc Researchers with the University of Montreal have been evaluating the interactions between PRRS and other disease-causing pathogens. Dr. Carl Gagnon, a professor with the University of Montreal and a member of the swine and poultry infectious disease research center, says the initial objective was to understand how PRRS and other pathogens interact. Quote-Dr. Carl Gagnon-University of Montreal: In one of the studies that we've done we were looking at a bacteria that we call Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae . It's a highly pathogenic bacteria that rarely causes health issues in pigs but, when it's there and it's a highly pathogenic strain, then it could be very very deadly to pigs. If we had PRRS virus and this specific bacteria, what is the mechanism involved and can PRRS virus facilitate Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae colonization of the animal or facilitate infection by the bacteria? Completely surprisingly, when the bacteria was present during PRRS virus co-infection, we have an inhibition of PRRS virus replication so the presence of the bacteria was blocking the infection of PRRS viruses. So, we started to investigate this phenomenon to try to understand what was happening and we realised that the bacteria was secreting at least one or several molecules that could actually have an antiviral effect against the virus. The financial support from SIP is to try to characterise the molecules, identify those bacterial molecules to hopefully develop an antiviral against PRRS viruses. Dr. Gagnon says, by characterising the mechanism of action of those molecules, it's hoped we can find others that can be used to develop cost effective interventions for PRRS. For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

PRIVACY POLICY Swine Innovation Porc (SIP) is committed to protecting the online privacy of all users of this website. Personal information, such as names, user names, phone numbers, email and postal addresses, is collected only when it is provided voluntarily by the user. In such cases, we use the provided information only for specific purposes (i.e. sending information to subscribers to our electronic bulletin). No personal information provided by users of this website is automatically captured and/or stored. Certain non-personal user information may be collected, such as details regarding internet protocol addresses or the name of the operating systems used, the amount of time the site was accessed, and the nature of the requests made. This site uses cookies, i.e. small pieces of data sent to the user's browser and saved on their hard drive. The information collected is used to improve the users' online experience and to inform SIP about the number of visitors to its website. The only individuals that may access this data are authorized SIP staff and specialized service providers that SIP may use for data analysis. We advise users that the latest versions of major browsers allow them to not only block the storing of cookies, but also carry out browsing sessions where all session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of a browsing session, regardless of their expected lifetime, thereby providing better protection against tracking. Users now have tools to manage cookies including: Blocking/disabling third party cookies, i.e. those that are displayed by a site other than the one displaying the main content Creating black lists of the websites for which they have to block cookies ​ The practices described in this statement on the protection of personal information are specific to SIP’s website. Any links to other organizations that may be found on this website, may apply other criteria and users who visit these sites are advised to review the regulations governing those websites. PUBLISHER: Publisher: Swine Innovation Porc, the trade name for the Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster.

< Community Wire Next Article> Researchers Work to Replace Antibiotics with Probiotics in Treating Diarrhea in Post Weaned Pigs Bruce Cochrane 29 Mar 2023 An interview with Dr. Joshua Gong - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 00:00 / 02:37 A multi-institutional team of scientists is conducting research aimed at replacing antibiotics with probiotic bacteria to combat diarrhea in nursery pigs. In response to public concerns over antibiotic use in livestock production and the potential for antibiotic resistance, scientists with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Manitoba, the University of Guelph and the University of Saskatchewan with funding from Swine Innovation Porc are working to develop viable alternatives to antibiotics to improve pig gut health, targeting Enterotoxigenic E. Coli infection and piglet diarrhea in nursery pigs. Dr. Joshua Gong, a Senior Research Scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says antibiotic resistance threatens public health and food safety. Clip-Dr. Joshua Gong-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: We are focused on probiotics and enzymes. For the probiotics research we focused on the probiotics selection, development and evaluation. We have identified bacillus isolates that have good potential to reduce pig diarrhea. If those selected probiotics can be used in the production of the piglets, that can reduce the use of antibiotics in feed and promote sustainable production of the pigs. In addition, this project has contributed to the improvement of encapsulation of heat sensitive probiotics. That technology has been adopted by a Canadian company located in Alberta. Dr. Gong notes the probiotic research has generated a number of peer-reviewed publications, results have been presented at various symposiums and the information can also be used by related industries, scientific communities and regulatory agencies. < Community Wire Next Article >

< Community Wire Next Article> Return-on-Investment Study Demonstrates Pork Sector Research Pays for Itself Bruce Cochrane 20 Apr 2023 Daniel Ramage, Swine Innovation Porc, highlighted the impacts of investments in the pork advancement at the Manitoba Pork AGM. 00:00 / 02:44 An independent economic analysis of the return on investments by the pork sector into research credits that research for a three and a half percent increase in the sector's productivity. An independent economic assessment, conducted on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc and first published in December, looked at the impact of swine cluster research as a driver for growth in the Canadian pork sector and in the overall economy. Daniel Ramage, the General Manager of Swine Innovation Porc, told those on hand last week in Winnipeg for Manitoba Pork's 2023 Annual General Meeting, the return-on-investment study was done to get an understanding of what are the impacts of investing in research? Clip-Daniel Ramage-Swine Innovation Porc: It's something that we can use to communicate and understand the value of investing in research and it was something that was required under our cluster program funding to make sure that we have an understanding of what are the impacts, what are the benefits of investing? We hired a third-party consultant, economist to do a review of our past clusters, of research that had been completed between 2010 and 2018, and the economic impact study gave us an understanding of, how much knowledge has been generated through research investments and then how does that knowledge translate into higher productivity for the pork sector. We've seen some really interesting outcomes from that study. For example, the estimate in terms of the productivity impact of 30 million dollars invested into research over that time frame, is over three and a half percent increase in productivity for the pork sector. That speaks to the value of investing in research because greater productivity has a positive impact for the bottom line of producers, it's what makes us more efficient and more competitive. Ramage says the value of investing in research speaks for itself and the return-on-investment study demonstrates that. He says we know investing in research in the pork sector is going to pay strong dividends. < Community Wire Next Article >

RESEARCHER PROFILE VIDEOS Swine Innovation Porc has partnered with 5minsofscience.com to bring you interesting, five-minute videos to present researchers and experts from the swine sector, as well as a concise look at what they are working on. ​ Check out the videos below and check back often, as we will be adding more videos in the future. Dr. Dan Columbus Research Scientist, Nutrition ​ Learn more... Dr. Jennifer Brown Research Scientist, Ethology ​ Learn more...

< Back Animal Health, Nutrition A Proactive Approach to Antibiotics Just Say No to Drug Resistance Pigs and people share a common concern: the growing use of antibiotics. However you dress it up, that’s a problem, as the mounting resistance to these drugs makes it harder to combat disease. For producers, finding other means to fight pathogens is essential for preserving their business, protecting the herd and promoting animal welfare. For researchers, supporting that fight meant devising a new feeding approach for neonatal and weanling piglets by addressing a common problem for these animals: diarrhea caused by Salmonella . Weaning is a critical time in a pig’s life. It is filled with stressors, particularly given the absence of a fully formed immune system puts piglets at risk. Adding to the challenge is a change in diet, moving from the sow’s milk to a regimen of solid food. The change is drastic and often jarring for piglets, as their intestines are not prepared for the upheaval. At this point, the animals are especially susceptible to diarrhea, and one culprit is Salmonella . Affected pigs often suffer from dehydration and anorexia, and some of them remain carriers and sources of infection for up to five months after recovery. This represents not only a risk for the health of other pigs, but also for public health, as Salmonella can also infect humans. A Solid solution To help prepare the animals for the transition from liquids to solids, producers will often introduce some solids to the diet when piglets are still with the sow. Scientists saw this as the perfect opportunity to insert feed additives in that diet to prevent or lessen diarrhea from Salmonella . In the process, they also wanted to identify the effects of Salmonella and explore the use of biomarkers as a less invasive means to study the animals. Biomarkers are changes to molecules or cells that aid in disease diagnosis and treatment, and help track the progression of disease. Employing these markers can enable researchers to preserve animals following a study and save money in the process. One option explored by this project is a bacterium called Veillonella . Scientists observed that when Salmonella infection was present in the pig’s gut, Veillonella levels were reduced, and these levels rose in the absence of the infection. This could prompt future research on the potential value of this bacterium as a probiotic that would be added to feed and render pigs less susceptible to Salmonella . Chain reaction The study also found that by adding a medium chain fatty acid (a saturated or unsaturated fatty acid present at high concentrations in food such as coconut oil) and yeast extract to the diet, they were able to prevent diarrhea in some pigs and decrease its severity in others. Past research has shown that amino acid supplementation can reduce the severity of diarrhea in pigs, something that was confirmed in the present research, so this is another promising path to be explored. Researchers are also intrigued by the potential of biomarkers. If all goes as planned, biomarkers could prompt a whole new area of study. Instead of trying to find solutions while working with a model in the lab, scientists could go directly to the barn. In doing so, they would observe the animals in their natural environment and note the action of the pathogen and how it affects the host. This change in methodology should produce more relevant results going forward. Pitching In and Helping Out To make the project and its findings possible, interaction was crucial. Université Laval performed the blood work and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) ran the immune system analysis. The pigs were born at AAFC Sherbrooke, where they were fed under lactation before being transferred to Université de Montréal for infection. As well, a private company contributed its expertise towards the biomarker discovery. Principal investigators – who are all based in Quebec - included Dr. Dominic Laprade-Poulin with AAFC Sherbrooke; Dr. Frédéric Guay, Université Laval; and Dr. Alexandre Thibodeau, Université de Montréal. As a next step, researchers hope to explore more options for feed additives that promote pig health. This work will include a closer examination of Veillonella and the role it could play as a probiotic to assist pigs and producers. The team is also aiming to redo the experiment from this project on a larger scale to generate more data for analysis. Finally, scientists would like to put medium chain fatty acids and yeast extract to the test on farms to assess performance in “real life” conditions. Piglets may not have fashion sense, but if this study can help ease the stress of weaning, it could be the perfect fit. Background Project Title: Towards a new feeding approach of neonatal and weanling piglet for optimizing nutritional status, immunity and microbiota and minimizing the use of antibiotics. Lead(s)/Co-Lead(s): Dr. Frédéric Guay (University Laval), Dr. Martin Lessard (AAFC Sherbrooke) Key inv estigator: Dr. Alexandre Thibodeau (University of Montréal) Budget: $275 777 Research Methods To assess the impact of weaning on piglet health and susceptibility to infection, researchers placed pigs in a disease challenge model, infecting them with Salmonella Typhimurium to induce diarrhea. Scientists then took the same group with the same diet, but inserted different feed additives, one at a time, aimed at controlling diarrhea. One of the added ingredients was bovine colostrum, which is thought to enhance piglet robustness; however, this additive proved ineffective. Another additive was colostrum and a mix of medium chain fatty acids and yeast extract, which proved to be useful to control diarrhea. To properly gauge the results, the study included a control group of piglets that received a normal diet with no additives involved.

MORE RESOURCES Browse the sections below to provide practical information coming out of research projects that we support. For fact sheets about our research projects, please click here . ​ ​ ANIMAL NUTRITION Animal Nutrition PHASE FEEDING FOR GROUP-HOUSED SOWS ARTICLE June 2019 Continue Strategy to Cut Sow Feed Costs Published by Better Pork Magazine ANIMAL WELFARE Animal Welfare WATER SPRINKLING DURING TRANSPORT GUIDELINES December 2013 Continue Water Sprinkling Equipment for Pig Trailers Published by Swine Innovation Porc HUMANE EUTHANASIA TECHNIQUES GUIDELINES 2013 Continue The Zephyr-E: A Solution to Humane Euthanasia for Piglets Published by Farm and Food Care Ontario BIOSECURITY Biosecurity TRANSPORT ARTICLE March 2019 Continuez Assessing Trailer Cleanliness Jointly published by Swine Innovation Porc, CDPQ, Prairie Swine Centre BUILDINGS & MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Buildings & Management Strategies FEEDERS & DRINKERS FACT SHEET 2017 Continue Water intake: Recommended flow rate and height of nipple drinkers Jointly published by Swine Innovation Porc, CDPQ, Prairie Swine Centre FACT SHEET 2017 Continue Feeder design: Recommended width and depth Jointly published by Swine Innovation Porc, CDPQ, Prairie Swine Centre BEST PRACTICES FACT SHEETS 2018 Continue Auditing Best Management Practices Link to our partner's website: CDPQ Animal Nutrition Animal Welfare Biosecurity Buildings & Management Strategies