The transportation of slaughter-weight pigs has been reviewed recently ( 7). In western Canada, cull sows and boars are primarily exported to the USA, where facilities are available to slaughter this class of animal. The trend toward centralization of slaughter facilities, the international movement of slaughter animals, larger facilities, and fewer of them will continue to provide challenges for the humane transportation of animals, as the average slaughter animal will travel further to slaughter. With the cost of transport being calculated in units of per hundredweight per kilometer, there is a motivation to load the animals as tightly as reasonably possible. Livestock hauling in Canada is an important and competitive sector of the livestock industry. In Canada, the transition of single location production units to isolated weaning and multisite production requires pigs to be transported more often in their lifetimes and at a young age. Isowean was previously trademarked by the Pig Improvement Company (PIC Canada head office, Airdrie, Alberta) however, the PIC has removed all trademark restrictions from the use of the term isowean ( 6). The term isowean has been recommended to describe this management practice ( 6). The process involves separating the piglets from the sow environment, usually at around 17 d of age, and moving them to an isolated location, thereby preventing the vertical transmission of specific pathogens ( 5). Slaughter swine include market weight pigs and cull sows and boars.Īge- and site-segregated pork production is a complex process that has been widely adopted in Canada in the last 10 y. Swine identified as weanlings include both piglets at 17 d of age (4.5 kg) and nursery pigs at around 25 to 30 kg. Total number of swine exported from Manitoba to the United States by quarter, from the first quarter of 1990 to the last quarter of 2000 ( 4). This is a fraction of the actual number of pig movements, as accurate data for movement within Manitoba and to other provinces in Canada are not readily available.įigure 1. In the calender year 2000, 1 440 000 isowean (5 kg body weight (BW), 17 to 18 d old) and nursery (25 kg BW) pigs, and over 900 000 slaughter pigs, were exported to the United States ( 4). In the past 6 y, Manitoba has seen a dramatic rise in the number of feeder and slaughter pigs exported to the United States ( Figure 1). On April 1, 2001, the breeding sow herd was estimated to be 271 000, a 63% increase since Ap(Honey J, Manitoba Agriculture and Food, personal comunication). Manitoba is in a period of swine expansion. Space allowance for animals during transport is a primary determinant of humane transportation, and the establishment of standards for swine is a necessity for the development of codes and regulations. Great Britain passed the most recent Transport Order in 1999 ( 2), the 4th revision in 10 y ( 3). The European response to public concern for food animals in transit has been to move rapidly toward regulation. The transportation code is one example ( 1). In Canada, concern for farm animal welfare has resulted in the development of a series of Recommended codes of practice for the care and handling of animals. Humane care and treatment of food producing animals have become integral to the management and marketing of food products of animal origin.
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