Saskatchewan Pork Producers Encouraged to Create Site-Specific On-Farm Emergency Response Plans

Saskatchewan's pork producers are being called upon to develop site-specific on-farm emergency response plans to be triggered in the event of an animal health emergency that requires herd depopulation. To encourage the province's pork producers to prepare to respond to a foreign animal disease outbreak, the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board in partnership with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and the Animal Health Emergency Management project has released a mass euthanasia and disposal producer guide and scheduled an online workshop for February 27th.

Sask Pork Producer Services Manager Karolina Steinerova says the initiative is intended to ensure pork producers are prepared for emergency situations that might arise from a border closure due to a disease outbreak or other market disruptions.

Quote-Karolina Steinerova-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board:

The first step is to outline potential primary and secondary methods of euthanasia that will be used for each phase of production.Then it's important to identify whether the producer and the farm have enough tools and equipment to carry out the plan.The guide also lists methods of disposal and defines the suitability or unsuitability of the methods for the site.

There should be one primary person responsible for the plan.Most often this is the site manager and it's also important that all barn personnel have been introduced to the emergency plan and have a general understanding off it.The guide is the primary resource and we have an incentive for the producers.For each complete on farm emergency plan that is submitted by the end of March this year, Sask Pork will provide 800 dollars per premises to help cover any consulting expenses that the producer may incur or cover the producer’s time spent developing the plan.

To register for the February 27th webinar or to get additional information email karolina@saskpork.com or call the office at 306-244-7752.
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