Canadian Hog Producers Required to Implement On-Farm Traceability [July 1, 2014]</

Nov 07, 2013

Canadian Hog Producers Required to Implement On-Farm Traceability [July 1, 2014]

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Come summer 2014, Canadian hog farmers will be expected to implement pig movement reporting on-farm. PigTrace, a federal traceability program has been in development since 2002, with full implementation coming into effect by July 1, 2014.

A regulatory amendment to the federal Health of Animals Regulation, which is also expected to be announced July 1st, has prompted the move. The traceability program aims to enhance the process of managing disease outbreaks and food safety emergencies. Information, which will be tracked through PigTrace, will provide government officials with the most accurate information regarding animal identification and movement of pigs.

In the New Year, the Canadian Pork Council will launch an outreach campaign aimed at helping producers transition over to the new requirements. Hog farmers will be able to choose from a variety of reporting tools that will work best for their farming operation, while still meeting federal requirements. More information about PigTrace can be found at: http://pigtrace.ca/.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.