Résultats de recherche

< Community Wire Next Article> Development of Antiviral Tools to Control African Swine Fever Needed Before Outbreak Occurs Bruce Cochrane 21 Dec 2023 Dr. Suresh Tikoo discusses work being conducted by VIDO to develop new antiviral drugs to combat African Swine Fever 00:00 / 02:42 Farmscape for December 21, 2023 A scientist with the University of Saskatchewan suggests the tools to address an outbreak of African Swine Fever need to be in place before the infection makes its way to North America. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan, with funding from Swine innovation Porc, is evaluating commercially available panels of antiviral compounds, for use in developing antiviral drugs to deal with African Swine Fever. Dr. Suresh Tikoo, a Professor and the Director of the Vaccinology and Immunotherapeutics Graduate Program, in the School of Public Health and a senior scientist with VIDO, says with African Swine Fever outbreaks already reported in countries in eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Germany, Belgium and Latin America (Haiti and Dominican republic) it's not a question of if but rather when the infection will enter North America. Quote-Dr. Suresh Tikoo-University of Saskatchewan School of Public Health and VIDO: Pork shipments generate about 30 million dollars in Canada and, once this disease comes into Canada, international market access is lost. In Canada alone, ASF may cause direct economic loss estimated at 24 billion dollars U.S. The virus is not here in North America but, because of the economic considerations, there's a big concern about the virus coming in and if it comes how to control the spread. With that in mind our long-term objective is to develop tactics which can control ASF infection as an alternative approach to vaccination because no vaccine is available. Although attempts are being made to make vaccine, no fruitful success has been achieved yet. We want to develop those antivirals so that at least we can reduce the susceptibility of the pigs and limit the transmission of the virus. Dr. Tikoo says researchers are doing high throughput screening of these antiviral compounds in vitro, in tissue culture cells in the CFIA approved level 3 lab at VIDO's International Vaccine Center, VIDO in hopes of identifying a few anti ASFV compounds that merit testing in vivo, in live animals. He expects to have results of the in vitro testing within four or five months. 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> Balanced Feed Intake Improves Gilt Health While Maintaining Milk Production Capability Bruce Cochrane 30 Nov 2023 Dr. Chantal Farmer discusses strategies to preserve sow longevity while enhancing milk production capability 00:00 / 02:48 Farmscape for November 30, 2023 A sow lactation biologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada reports that by balancing feed intake pork producers can preserve the health and longevity of the gilt while maintaining her ability to produce milk. Mammary development occurs at three stages in the life of a pig, from 90 days of age to puberty, at 90 days of gestation to farrowing and during lactation. Research aimed at stimulating mammary development to boost milk production is highlighted as part of Swine Innovation Porc's 2022-2023 annual report. Dr. Chantal Farmer, a research scientist in sow lactation biology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke, mentions in previous research feed intake was reduced by 20 percent from 90 days of age to puberty and resulted in greatly reduced mammary development at puberty. Quote-Dr. Chantal Farmer-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Now a days we have gilts that grow really fast and these fast-growing gilts have leg problems that reduce longevity in the herd so producers say, can I do some feed restrictions to slow down the growth rates of these gilts and keep them longer in the herd? We've done a project where we've done again the 20 percent feed restriction of prepubertal gilts, but we've also done a 10 percent feed restriction or we've added 25 percent fibre in diets, which diluted energy intake by five percent and when we looked at the growth rates of the piglets in the following lactation there were no differences due to treatment effects. So right now, what I can tell producers is it seems that 25 percent fibre addition, which will dilute the energy in the ration between 90 days of age to puberty, is fine. It will not inhibit mammary development. And the other point is, it's not the percent feed restriction that seems important but the amount of feed eaten. If we restrict feed intake to 2.7 kilos per day that will be fine, even in that critical period from 90 days to puberty. It will not decrease substantially the milk yield after. It has no effect so, if you can restrict feed intake to no less than 2.7 kilos per day, then you're fine. Information on this research can be accessed at swineinnovationporc.ca by clicking the link to the 2022-2023 annual report. 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> Increased Lysine Inclusion in Rations During Late Gestation Stimulates Mammary Development in Gilts Bruce Cochrane 8 Dec 2023 Dr. Chantal Farmer discusses the value of increasing lysine in the diets of gilts via increased soybean inclusion. 00:00 / 02:44 Farmscape for December 8, 2023 Research conducted with funding provided by Swine Innovation Porc shows increasing the inclusion of lysine in the diets of first parity gilts will help stimulate the formation of milk producing mammary tissues. Research aimed at stimulating mammary development to boost milk production is highlighted as part of Swine Innovation Porc's 2022-2023 annual report. Dr. Chantal Farmer, a research scientist in sow lactation biology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Sherbrooke, says scientists evaluated the value of increasing the inclusion of the amino acid lysine during gestation. Quote-Dr. Chantal Farmer-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada: Why do we look at lysine? Lysine is an essential amino acid. It's in fact the most limiting amino acid in most swine diets. It's involved in growth, it's involved in reproduction so there would be a lot of chances that it would have a role in terms of mammary development. What we've done is we've increased the lysine intake at the end of gestation by 40 percent. This increase was achieved by giving more soybean meal in the diet. So, obviously we did not only increase lysine. We increased other amino acids, we increased protein content but the only thing that was increased by 40 percent was the lysine content. We did that in the critical late gestation period. Then we slaughtered the animals at the end of gestation, looked at mammary tissue and amazingly a 40 percent increase in lysine led to a 44 percent increase in the good mammary parenchymal tissue where you do see these milk synthesising cells being present. That's a one-to-one ratio that's amazing. More lysine, by giving more soybean meal, will greatly enhance mammary development at the end of gestation. This was done in growing gilts. In my last project in the swine cluster was to do the same experiment with multiparous sows. If we do the same 40 percent increase in lysine intake in these multiparous sows then you look at mammary development at the end of gestation there is no beneficial effect whatsoever. Dr. Farmer recommends phase feeding gilts by increasing lysine via more soybean meal inclusion from 90 days of gestation to farrowing. 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 Look to Pig Gut Microbiome to Improve Health and Performance Without Antibiotics Bruce Cochrane 25 May 2023 Dr. Vahab Farzan discusses the work of Canadian universities to use the bacterial populations of the gut microbiome of the pig in place of antibiotics 00:00 / 02:39 Farmscape for May 25, 2023 Research conducted on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc is contributing to the development of new products that will improve the health and performance of pigs without the need for antibiotics. As part of research conducted with support from Swine Innovation Porc Canadian universities have been examining the bacterial populations of the gut microbiome of the pig. Dr. Vahab Farzan, a research scientist and adjunct Professor in the Department of Population Medicine and Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College with the University of Guelph, says, with the world moving toward minimising antimicrobial use, we need to know what's going on in that ecosystem to help develop alternatives to antibiotics. Clip-Dr. Vahab Farzan-University of Guelph: The first thing was to identify the bacteria living in this environment. Some of them are beneficial for health and growth performance. So, we looked at the health of the pig over time and we mostly focussed on the first four weeks of their life, from when they were born to until one-week postweaning. During that period, we looked at the health of the pig and also the growth performance. The good bacteria in the gut could help pigs in different ways to resist bad bacteria. They can occupy the space, so there's no space for the bad bacteria, if you want to make it very simple. The other way is the good bacteria produce products that are harmful for the bad bacteria. These are the two major ways that the good bacteria can help pigs to resist against bad bacteria and also to have a better weight gain. Dr. Farzan says key findings so far have been that, as the pigs grow, the bacterial populations in the gut will change and several genetic variants have been identified that will influence those bacterial populations. 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 >

< Community Wire Next Article> SIP Research Assembles Best Minds to Address Pork Sector Challenges Bruce Cochrane 6 Nov 2023 SIP General Manager Daniel Ramage discusses Swine Cluster 3 Research 00:00 / 02:45 Farmscape for November 6, 2023 The General Manager of Swine Innovation Porc says it's through investments in research that the pork sector is able to put some of the best minds to work addressing challenges and building opportunities for the sector. Swine innovation Porc's just released 2022-23 annual report can be accessed at swininnovationporc.ca . Daniel Ramage, the General Manager of Swine Innovation Porc says investments in research contribute to the industry's long-term profitability, competitiveness and sustainability. Quote-Daniel Ramage-Swine innovation Porc: We've actually just wrapped up our latest swine cluster, the swine cluster 3 program, and we're working on the development of the next five-year cluster. Those are some of the things we talk about in the annual report and we're highlighting how these funding investments are really driving long term growth. This is one of the things that we really try to emphasize in the annual report, that our research priorities do encompass key areas, things like the environment, animal nutrition, animal health, animal welfare and quality. These are priorities that have been set collaboratively through consultation across the pork industry. These are priorities that are really driving by the industry's need for sustainability, the need for efficiency and quality and to address evolving consumer and regulatory demands. Its really through the investments that make in research that we can put some of the best minds to work on solving challenges and building up opportunities for our sector across all of these different areas and priorities. In our annual report this year we really emphasis celebrating and featuring some of the impacts and outcomes of those efforts. Ramage notes an economic impact assessment study that looked at the return on investment in past clusters, shows these research investments have resulted in a three and a half percent increase in productivity across Canada. He says, more broadly, the benefits of research can be quantified through improved efficiency, animal welfare, product quality and even environmental impact. 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> Validation Tools Under Development for Post-Weaning E. coli Diarrhea Interventions Bruce Cochrane 20 Feb 2023 Dr. Vahab Farzan discusses efforts to develop interventions to prevent swine disease, such as post-weaning E. coli diarrhea 00:00 / 02:39 Farmscape for February 20, 2023 Researchers with the University of Guelph are developing the tools needed to validate interventions being developed to prevent swine disease, such as post-weaning E. coli diarrhea. As part of research being conducted with funding provided by Swine Innovation Porc, Ontario Pork, and the Ontario Agr-Food Innovation Alliance, scientists with the University of Guelph have been investigating the response in pigs challenged by E. coli in order to optimize the infection model used to assess interventions being developed to control post-weaning E. coli diarrhea. Dr. Vahab Farzan, a Research Scientist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Population Medicine and the Department of Pathobiology at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph says the objectives are to develop and optimize an infection model for assessing the effectiveness of interventions such as vaccination or probiotics and to use the infection model. Clip-Dr. Vahab Farzan-University of Guelph: It is very important to evaluate the effectiveness of those methods, like vaccine or probiotics and this should be done first under an experimental challenge study, which needs to challenge the pigs with the bacteria and then see how they respond to infection in pigs vaccinated as opposed to those not vaccinated as opposed to those not received it and it's very important to have an infection model. When I'm talking about the infection model that means that there are different parameters that will have impact on pig response to the infection. One of them is, for example, the age of the pig. The genetics of the pig is another parameter, how much bacteria we should give to the pigs to induce diseases in them. These are main parameters that we need to optimise an infection model first and then use that infection model to evaluate intervention. Dr. Farzan says it's important that the infection model deliver enough of the infectious agent to trigger a disease response but not enough to kill the pig. For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

< Back Nutrition, Sustainability When the Going Gets Tough, Science Helps Pigs Get Growing A Strategy for Sick Swine If you want to kill the buzz at a party, bring up diarrhea. Though it’s rarely discussed off the farm, the condition is a major concern for producers, sparking science to look for solutions. Given the stakes, developing an alternative and environmentally friendly strategy to combat PWD and improve the overall health of pigs is imperative. Post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) is caused by a group of E. coli that produce special toxins, and is widespread in swine production today. In addition to causing stress for the animals, it does the same for their owners by harming growth performance and increasing mortality in the barn. In many cases, farms rely on antibiotics to treat PWD. Given the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with livestock farming, pressure is growing to phase out the drugs completely, with some countries already banning their use in feed to promote growth. Under the heading “the cure is worse than the disease”, heavy metals like zinc oxide (ZnO) have proved effective in controlling PWD, yet have come under considerable scrutiny for their negative effects on animal health and the environment. These metals can accumulate in vital organs like the pancreas and liver, and can also damage the environment by contaminating soil and water. Probiotics: All pros and no cons Now that we know what doesn’t work, only one question remains: what does? Based on recent studies, the addition of probiotic bacteria (live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed) to the diet has a number of advantages for piglets during weaning: improved nutrient digestibility, reduced pathogen levels, greater gut immunity and enhanced overall growth performance. As a further benefit, including specific probiotics in pig feed could help reduce the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the intestine. One such probiotic – lactobacillus – has been studied extensively for this purpose, and is now being used in commercial applications. The right spore for the chore Another promising option in the PWD battle is a particular strain of Bacillus species, known as Bacillus subtilis . Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria that can form spores and survive in harsh conditions. These bacteria are plentiful, residing in soil, water, dust and air, and will thrive in various temperatures. Furthermore, their ability to create spores at high temperatures and endure low pH (phosphorus) environments make Bacillus subtilis a robust strain that could be developed as an in-feed probiotic supplement. In recent studies, augmenting pig diets with a probiotic-based in Bacillus subtilis reduced the incidence and severity of diarrhea and enhanced growth performance by boosting immunity in weanling piglets. If the eyes glaze over at terms like lactobacillus and Bacillus subtilis , the benefits of this study should be eye-opening for producers. Apart from addressing PWD caused by E. coli , the inclusion of Bacillus-based probiotics in nursery pig diets may reduce the presence of feed-induced diarrhea and help maintain or improve growth performance. This is significant, since weaning-associated diarrhea can also be triggered by economical diets which are mostly plant-based (corn and soybean meal-based). Because feed cost is a huge burden on the industry, less costly regimens are often necessary, but they have also been associated with a higher incidence of diarrhea and lower intestinal integrity (the ability of the intestine to maintain its structure and function). It takes a village Good research is an investment in the future, so the scientists in this study were grateful for financial support from Swine Innovation Porc (SIP), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and CBS Bio Platforms Canada. From the University of Guelph’s Department of Animal Biosciences, a number of research minds joined forces for the project: Dr. Julang Li, professor; Sudhanshu Sudan (a PhD student at the time, now a research scientist at U of G); Dr. Lee-Anne Huber, assistant professor; Dr. Robert Friendship, professor, Ontario Veterinary College; Dr. Elijah Kiarie, professor; Xiaoshu Zhan, Ph.D. candidate; Lauren Fletcher, Ph.D. candidate; and Serena Dingle, M. Sc. Also integral to the project were Rob Patterson, vice president - Innovation & Commercialization at CBS Bio-Platforms, and the animal care and sampling assistance provided by the Arkell Swine barn staff, research associates Cuilan Zhu and Douglas Wey, and undergraduate research interns. Metabolite sample processing and data extraction were delivered by Robert Flick, Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics Services Manager at BioZone, University of Toronto. Based on the current results, low-dose supplementation can achieve significant improvements in growth performance in a research environment. From here, larger studies in a similar setting, as well as in production/commercial settings, must be conducted to confirm these findings. While there is still work ahead, this study adds to a limited body of research on the use of probiotics as an alternative to ZnO and antibiotics in guarding against PWD. The results also suggest that supplementing piglets with a novel bacillus-based probiotic may improve feed efficiency and growth performance, offering an economical feeding strategy to benefit producers around the world. As a dinner topic, that sure beats diarrhea. Background Project Title: Reducing feed cost and the environmental footprint and enhancing global competitiveness of Canadian pork production by increased nutrient utilization of feedstuffs fed to growing-finishing pigs. Lead(s)/Co-Lead(s): Dr. Julang Li (University of Guelph) Budget: $221 160 Research Methods To test dietary treatments, 96 crossbred piglets, including an equal number of gilts and barrows, were randomly assigned to four groups immediately after weaning. All groups had six replicate pens with four piglets per pen (2 gilts and 2 barrows). The corn- and soybean meal-based diet was formulated to meet the estimated nutrient requirements established by the National Research Council for nursery pigs. The diets were fed in two phases, with phase 1 covering week 1, and phase 2 covering weeks 2-4. The trial lasted for 28 days. All piglets were weighed individually at days 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated for the periods of days 1–14, 15–28 and 1–28 of the trial.

< 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> PED Elimination Plan Developed for Manitoba Bruce Cochrane 19 Apr 2023 An interview with Janelle Hamblin, Manitoba Pork, on PED updates 00:00 / 02:43 A Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea elimination plan for has been developed for Manitoba. The Future of PED Working Group, set up in response to a major outbreak in 2021-2022, to look at PED management strategies including what was working and what needed to change, has created a PED elimination plan for Manitoba. Jenelle Hamblin, the Director of Swine Health with Manitoba Pork, told those on hand last week in Winnipeg for Manitoba Pork's 2023 Annual General Meeting there's been a continuous decline in cases of PED from the 2021-2022 outbreak. Clip-Jenelle Hamblin-Manitoba Pork: We're currently looking to do some significant outreach and communication to the plan we've developed. It's been a work in progress and will continue to evolve and we will continue to put out that messaging to producers and sector stakeholders as the plan is developed and changed over time. That's a big next step that we're working on. The targets that we're looking at, reducing our overall number of infected premises year over year. We're looking at a 50 percent reduction for our next large-scale outbreak, so looking at 132 cases from 2021-2022, reducing that down to half or 65 in 2024 and then year over year reducing by half is one of our main targets. Secondly, one of our main targets is shortening the amount of time that a premise is positive for PED. If we can shorten the amount of time that the farm takes to eliminate the disease, it really reduces the overall risk to the sector and potentially spreading that through movement or biosecurity breach or area spread, so really looking at a more aggressive approach to managing that infection initially. Hamblin notes we have been on that downward trend for PED cases but we're moving into spring when PED tends to pick up. She reminds everybody on farm, when vising high traffic facilities, when moving animals to practice biosecurity. < Community Wire Next Article >

< Community Wire Next Article> Swine Innovation Porc Annual Report Highlights Swine Cluster 3 Accomplishments Bruce Cochrane 24 Oct 2023 SIP General Manager Daniel Ramage discusses the release of the 2022-23 Annual Report. 00:00 / 02:48 Farmscape for October 24, 2023 Swine Innovation Porc's just released 2022-23 annual report highlights accomplishments achieved through the swine cluster research program. Swine Innovation Porc, the national organization focused on advancing the Canadian pork sector through innovative research and knowledge transfer, has released its 2022-23 annual report. SIP General Manager Daniel Ramage says one of the most notable achievements this year has been the conclusion of Swine Cluster 3. Quote-Daniel Ramage-Swine Innovation Porc: Funding for SIP primarily comes from a combination of government grants and industry contributions and research partnerships. One of the major research programs that we've been leading since 2010 is the swine cluster program. That's an initiative that's funded under the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada AgriScience Cluster Program. That is a program that represents a true partnership between industry and government and academics, institutions. It's where we come together to advance priority work and large-scale multi-partner research initiatives. SIP's research program is led by institutions and research centers from across Canada and in some cases even with global partners. Under cluster 3, for example, which we're really featuring and showcasing in our annual report, we worked with 24 different research institutions. These are leading universities and academic institutions and across those institutions we worked with over 80 different researchers throughout this program and they're projects that are enabling us to tap in to some of the best minds in pork research and applying it to the priorities of our industry. What we strive to do is to build that collaboration between industry and academia and government so that we can drive innovation. The 2022-2023 Swine Innovation Porc Annual Report can be accessed through SIP's web site at swineinnovationporc.ca . For more visit Farmscape.Ca . Bruce Cochrane. *Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers < Community Wire Next Article >

< Back Nutrition It’s High Time to Lower Feed Costs Stretching Diet Dollars Only Makes Sense Clearly, the only thing better than a win-win for the pork sector is a win-win-win. As feed costs consume a growing portion of producer budgets, the challenge for industry is to maintain pig performance while ensuring the profitability and sustainability of pork production. Doing so can be especially hard in the post weaning period, a critical stage for pig development. In talking with industry, researchers pinpointed a number of stressors that impact post weaning pigs, such as the removal of antibiotics and the possible withdrawal of animal based proteins from the diet. In response, science set out to develop effective feeding strategies for weaned pigs that would maximize profits, reduce reliance on in-feed antibiotics and improve robustness. Let’s get growing A prime focus for achieving these goals was amino acids and their potential for boosting health and growth in post weaning pigs without breaking the bank on feed. In turn, this could reduce the industry’s reliance on antibiotics by offering an alternative means to treat disease and promote growth through diet alone. For both the pork sector and the general public, reducing the need for antibiotics is a top priority, which makes it top of mind for science as well. As well, researchers sought chemical and biological tools to detoxify vomitoxin, a mycotoxin that is most common in grains like wheat, barley, oats, rye and corn. Not only could this boost pig growth and producer profits, but it may lead to greater food safety. In the course of their study, the team also aimed to maximize the level of pulse grains in diets in order to reduce feed expense and improve gut health. Pigs, plants and profit Traditional post weaning diets usually feature animal-based protein sources such as whey and fish meal, as they are seen to be the best option for reducing the stress of weaning. These regimens are highly complex and easy to digest, but that comes at great cost to producers. Some studies, however, have suggested that such diets, when compared to plant-based options, do not enhance growth performance overall from the nursery to market weight hogs. At the same time, there is evidence that plant-based diets may render pigs more vulnerable to disease compared to the animal-based route. This sort of “good news, bad news” scenario underscores the need for continued research on the pros and cons of various feed regimes. Just add amino acids For this study, researchers addressed the downside of plant-based meals by including a mixture of functional amino acids at 120 per cent of NRC recommendations (Nutrient Requirements of Swine). Functional amino acids govern vital metabolic pathways to enhance development and health and are key components of many immune system proteins. Previous studies have shown that this approach boosts growth and immunity of pigs facing a disease challenge such as Salmonella. Pick your path Based on this project, producers now have options. In some operations, the animal-based diet may be preferable for its ability to improve pig health. In other cases, switching to plant-based meals could help to offset rising feed prices and keep more dollars in producer pockets. For those choosing the latter approach, supplementing diets with the functional amino acids methionine, threonine and tryptophan in amounts that exceed current industry levels can help guard against the negative impact of plant-based strategies on disease resistance. Those amino acids become even more effective in safeguarding pig health the further out they are used from a disease challenge. All told, the study covered a lot of ground, thanks to strong support from industry, government and academia. Swine Innovation Porc (SIP), the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership participated as funding partners. The research itself was driven by co-leaders Dr. Daniel Columbus, research scientist and adjunct professor at the Prairie Swine Centre, University of Saskatchewan, and Dr. Martin Nyachoti, professor, Department of Animal Science at the University of Manitoba. Just as many victories in life stem from making the right moves at the right time, scientists feel the same can be said for success in pork production. While the wrong decisions with post-weaning pigs may harm their performance down the road, choosing wisely will lower costs and antibiotic use, raise performance levels and improve the public image of the entire pork sector. 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. Daniel Columbus (Prairie Swine Center) Budget: $349 219 Research Methods To gauge the relative merits of a plant-based diet versus the more common animal-based approach, researchers employed a 31 day feeding program with 32 weanling pigs. Over the course of the program, pigs were given one of four diets: plant-based with a basal (essential for maintaining the animal’s fundamental vital activities) amino acid profile; plant-based supplemented with the amino acids methionine, threonine and tryptophan at 120 per cent of daily requirements; and two animal-based diets with one of the two amino acid regiments used for the plant-based diets. At the end of the 31 day nursery phase, pigs received a common grower diet. After seven days on that diet, they were inoculated with Salmonella and monitored for seven days following the inoculation.