Saskatchewan pork producers are hailing the reopening of the PSC Elstow Research Farm under new ownership as very good news for the province’s pork industry.
The PSC Elstow Research Farm, constructed in 2000 by the Saskatoon based Prairie Swine Centre, was taken over last week by United Kingdom based JSR Genetics after it was depopulated and closed last fall in response to the economic squeeze being experienced throughout the North American swine industry.
Saskatchewan Pork Development Board producer services manager Harvey Wagner says JSR Genetics’ presence in Saskatchewan is a welcome development.
It’s very good news to see that facility back in operation.
It’s a wonderful facility that was built at Elstow and run by the Prairie Swine Centre.
To see it back in operation with a high quality genetics is a real boost to not only the local area around Elstow for the ability to sell grain and to have people working at the barn but it’s also a really good psychological boost for the industry to know that other outside companies see that there is some future in the pork industry in Saskatchewan and Canada and North American so we’re happy for that.
The other thing is this facility really shows that the prairies, in particular Saskatchewan, is a really good place to house high quality genetics because of our biosecurity.
Large distance between barns makes it a really good repository for the world genetic stock so we see that as an excellent vote of confidence for the Canadian pork industry because these animals will be available for movement all over the world and what better place to have them than in Canada for that purpose.
Wagner notes a number of international swine genetics companies are located throughout Saskatchewan already.
He says they are the repository of the best swine genetics the world has to offer and to have another major international company locate in the province reaffirms Saskatchewan’s advantages for raising hogs.
Source: Farmscape.Ca
