The Prairie Swine Centre recently completed a survey that will aid in the development of new resources to help small-scale pork producers improve their bio-security and reduce disease risk. The Prairie Swine Centre, in collaboration with Swine Innovation Porc, reached out to small-scale swine producers via an online "Backyard Pig Farmer Survey" that ran from February to April in an effort to help limit the danger of African Swine Fever entering Canada.
The goal, according to Dr. Murray Pettitt, the CEO of the Prairie Swine Centre, is to learn more about small-scale producers' bio-security practises, their understanding of African Swine Fever and the threat it poses, and what information they seek, as well as to develop practical resources to help them better understand appropriate bio-security methods and their implications for disease prevention.
According to Dr. Pettitt, they learned about small-scale swine producers' production procedures, which can include things like housing. Some people keep their animals outside, while others keep them inside, while others keep them both inside and outside. They also gathered information on where they obtain the data they need for their animals.
The findings will be utilized by stakeholders that help small-scale producers in developing resource materials to improve pig health and minimize the risk of disease.