Livestock Sector Looks to the Federal Government for Help

Apr 28, 2020

For the past couple of weeks, Canada's livestock sector has been asking Ottawa for help to get through the current crisis with COVID 19.

Many packing plants where livestock producers usually send their animals, are either closed or at reduced shifts because of outbreaks among workers. That's been especially troubling for the pork industry, where hogs need to be shipped to market once they've reached the proper weight.

According to Dennis Laycraft of the CCA, agriculture has been moved to the "top of the list" when it comes to funding priorities for the federal government. The prime minister also hinted at that during one of his daily COVID update on the weekend. The PM said his government is looking at additional ways to support agriculture in the coming days.

If packing plants remain closed for too long, producers could lose hundreds of millions of dollars, and consumer will notice fewer meat choices at their grocery store.

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Video: Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Laya Alves from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, discusses how animal welfare regulations are evolving globally and their impact on pig production systems. She explains challenges in group housing, pain management, and euthanasia decisions, while highlighting the role of training and management in improving outcomes and economic sustainability. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Translating welfare requirements into daily farm routines without compromising economic sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by producers globally today."

Meet the guest: Dr. Laya Alves / laya-kannan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on animal welfare in pig production, including pain management, euthanasia, and economic decision making. Her work integrates welfare science with practical farm management and sustainability. She collaborates globally to develop applied tools for producers.