In August of last year Art Shaap’s life and livelihood changed in a heart beat. It was then that the owner of Highland Dairy in Clovis, New Mexico, started dumping 15,000 gallons of milk each day because his animals and seven of his 13 wells had been contaminated with runoff from the nearby Cannon Air… Read More
Category: Animal Health
The news Three existing livestock codes of practice will receive updates and one new code of practice will be created with an announced $4.56 million granted to the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC), on behalf of the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC). NFACC is a collaborative partnership of stakeholders created to share information and work… Read More
In an age where technology can be a great resource to share news, it can also easily spread rumours. One falsehood that is currently going around on Facebook and other social media sites is that Canada has a confirmed case of African swine fever (ASF). Gary Stordy, communications manager with the Canadian Pork Council, has… Read More
A new and timely research network being established this spring will provide the nation’s cow-calf industry with benchmark data to help with planning and management. The Canadian Cow-Calf Surveillance Network is described as “a network of herds across the country that reflects the industry.” The network will involve 175 producers across Canada and a dozen… Read More
It’s a running joke among sheep farmers that 99% of a sheep farmer’s job is saving these wooly beasts from the 1,001 ways they try to die. After a few years owning sheep, I am still surprised by the silly ways they get into a pickle, but there’s likely nothing more frustrating than losing a… Read More
Non-medicated livestock feed and supplement company Jefo has announced its plans to build a new, 200,000 square foot production plant in the Théo-Phénix Industrial Park at Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec. The construction of the facility is valued around $30 million, and will be built on land acquired last year adjacent to other Jefo Group facilities, which include a transportation company, a trans-shipment… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) this week offered an update to the bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) case found in British Columbia late last year. The disease was found in the southern interior region of the province on October 26, 2018, and was announced publicly in November 2018. The investigation is on-going, says CFIA, and the agency… Read More
The news The federal government has announced $1.5 million in funding to support animal health and disease surveillance in the hog sector. The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) will use the funds to adopt a virus detection system to support animal health. Funded under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriAssurance Program, the virus detection system will enable… Read More
Costco Wholesale announced it is updating company animal welfare standards to reduce the use of medically important antibiotics in its meat and poultry supply chains. Announced earlier this week on the same day as McDonald’s own policy commitment, Costco’s new direction follows similar lines to the seller of Big Macs. “Our policy is to limit… Read More
McDonald’s has announced a new policy aimed at reducing the overall use of antibiotics important to human health, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), across its global beef supply chain. According to the WHO, antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health, food security, and development today. McDonald’s says instituting… Read More
The Ontario government is proposing changes to the previous government’s recent overhaul of the rabies immunization rules as they apply to livestock headed to agricultural fairs. Ernie Hardeman, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, says the proposed amendments to the Health Protection and Promotion Act are intended to reduce “unnecessary red tape and… Read More
New research suggests significant savings to pork producers from screening boars for a genetic abnormality that causes prenatal piglet death and smaller litters. When the test for chromosome translocation in Canada was developed five years ago at the University of Guelph by professor Allan King and his team, the savings were estimated at about 3:1… Read More
In the midst of peak sheep breeding season, many farmers are faced with the tough call — do you put the rams in with the ewe lambs now, or wait until the ewe lambs are older? Like most production-related questions, the answer is: it depends. A ewe lamb that gives birth around her first birthday… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced it’s investigating a case of bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) in the southern interior of British Columbia. Dr. Debbie Barr, director of animal health, welfare & biosecurity division CFIA, says the mature cow was sent to a slaughter house on Oct. 26, 2018. Post mortem examination showed signs… Read More
In order for Canada to best meet the domestic demand for lamb, sheep farmers have to manage the sheep flock to lamb out-of-season. It’s very possible with careful management of ewes, certainly, but many farmers may be surprised to learn that ram management can have a significant impact on out-of-season success. For those aiming for… Read More