The general manager of Manitoba Pork is encouraging pork producers who attend Prairie Livestock Expo next week in Winnipeg to maintain their focus on biosecurity.
Prairie Livestock Expo, formerly Manitoba Hog and Poultry Days, slated for December 10 has been moved from the Winnipeg Convention Centre to the Victoria Inn and has been expanded to include all livestock species.
Andrew Dickson, the general manager of Manitoba Pork and a member of the Prairie Livestock Expo organizing committee, explains several companies that participate work with all species so this is a way for them to reach all of their customers and many of the presentations apply to all livestock.
It’s essentially two parts.
One would be we’ve got some speakers on different topics from the University of Manitoba and from some companies that deal with new and emerging research issues all the way from lighting for poultry operations to PEDv, how to manage manure, some ration stuff.
The other big part is all the various exhibits from the different companies that’ll be there for people to come and meet with industry reps for different services and products so we’ll have equipment manufacturers there, we’ll have some people from drug companies, financial institutions, insurance companies and so on.
We have a carcass competition which is very interesting just to see how good the quality of for example pork is in Manitoba.
We have some cooking demonstrations.
We’re also going to be offering some things that are a little different.
For example you’ll be able to get a flu shot.
We’ve got a nurse from the Vitoria Order of Nursing coming down and we’re providing free flu shots.
Now we’re asking all producers, especially pig operations that are coming to make sure that they don’t bring their barn cloths.
We’d like to see them use clean shoes and clean cloths and not their barn shoes or their barn cloths.
Dickson expects the event to attract in the area of 15 hundred visitors from Manitoba, other provinces and even the United States.
