The Division Director for National Farm Animal Care Council says five main swine welfare themes were identified by participants of a top-of-mind survey, conducted this past spring to gather stakeholder input for the planned update of Canada's Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs. The update of Canada's Pig Code of Practice was officially launched in mid-May with the introduction of a top-of-mind survey to gather stakeholder input on key animal welfare issues.
Members of both the Pig Code Committee and the Scientific Committee, a total of 14 representatives, got their first look at the results of that survey when they met for two days in Ottawa in October. Jackie Wepruk, the Division Director for the National Farm Animal Care Council, says the survey, which ran from mid-May to June 4th, attracted responses from across Canada with the largest number of submissions coming from British Columbia followed by Ontario and then Alberta as well as from the United States, Europe and Singapore.
Quote-Jackie Wepruk-National Farm Animal Care Council:
Participants are asked one simple questions, "what are your top-of-mind thoughts around pig welfare?" In other words, when you think about pig welfare, what thoughts come to mind as topics that need to be addressed or covered in the Pig Code's update? There were five main welfare themes that were identified and none of them are particularly surprising.