The Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork says Canada’s pork producers have been proactive in preparing for new regulations governing the access and use of veterinary drugs in Canada.
The Canadian Pork Council has revised its Vaccine and Drug Use Policy to reflect new regulations on the access and use of veterinary drugs in Canada.
Mark Fynn, the Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork, says pork producers recognize their role in addressing the public’s concerns related to antimicrobial al resistance.
Health Canada is amending some of its regulations and policies that have to do with medically important antimicrobials. Some of those changes have already come into effect. Most of the rest of them actually come into effect on December 1st of this year. Many of the changes have already been adopted by pork producers ahead of the requirements. Most pork producers have an active ongoing relationship with a veterinarian and have adopted the changes. Some of the changes require prescriptions on medications and vaccines that didn’t require prescriptions in the past so they’re getting those prescriptions from their herd vet as well as all of the ones they have in the past.
The Canadian Pork Council has adapted its vaccine and drug use policy to reflect these changes. As of the new year, in 2019, all of that drug policy is going to be assessed when we do the new CPE or Canadian Pork Excellence validations on farm through the PigSafe program as well as those people that are tailing off on the CQA program.
Mark Fynn-Manitoba Pork
Fynn notes the Canadian pork sector has been supportive of these regulatory changes and was involved in the process of defining them. For more information, he encourages pork producers to talk to their veterinarians or their provincial pork organizations.
