A director with the Canadian Pork Council suggests broad public input has been a significant factor in the successful update of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs in Canada.
Over the past three years, as part of a national effort coordinated by the National Farm Animal Care Council to update eight Canadian codes of practice a 17 member committee has working to update the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs.
Under the final updated Pig Code of Practice, released earlier this month, all newly constructed barns for housing gestating sows will be required to implement group housing, new guidelines have been introduced for mitigating pain during painful procedures and there’s a greater emphasis on enhancing the animal’s environment.
Canadian Pork Council director Claude Vielfaure, who took part in the process as an observer, says the participation of such a broad cross section of stakeholders has been significant.
The National Farm Animal Council, which is funded by government to revise all the different codes in the different livestock species, so the pork code started negotiations about three years ago.
It includes different people around the table including producers, veterinarians, scientists, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies among other groups.
It’s getting the total value chain at the table discussing the Code of practice and how to raise pigs so I think it’s very significant and, with the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies there, it certainly brings a focus on all aspects of raising pigs including the animal care portion.
Vielfaure says producers are relieved to have the new code completed and in place.
He acknowledges, moving forward, there will be some changes to which producers will have to adapt and now it’s up to producers to look at the final version and see how they can implement the things in the code that have changed.
