GUELPH — Last week, more than 150 researchers, scientists and veterinarians, working on swine-related health issues, converged on Niagara Falls, Ont., for the Canadian Swine Health Board Forum.
Dr. Brian Evans, chief veterinary and food safety officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, presented his keynote address to the group.Evans discussed the importance of swine health relating to competition and trade. Other forum topics included emerging and re-emerging swine disease, bio-security and disease risk management — key subjects that are top of mind within the pork industry.
The Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB) is a new organization mandated to provide leadership, coordination and support for the Canadian swine herd. The CSHB has made a commitment to develop and implement a long-term strategy for control of diseases in the hog industry.
There are approximately 2,000 pork producers in Ontario who market 4.5-million hogs a year. The largest number of producers, 38 per cent, market between 500 and 3,000 hogs per year.
