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Dr. John Harding 9:03 Listen
Dr. Joel Kettner-Media Briefing 18:01 Listen
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Karl Kynoch 3:39 Listen
Jurgen Preugschas 5:26 Listen

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Canadians Urged to Support Pork Producers by Eating More Pork
Farmscape Staff

Farmscape Article 3088  May 10, 2009

Despite a confirmed outbreak of H1N1 flu on a central Alberta farrow to finish swine operation, veterinary and human health officials continue to stress the new strain of influenza virus is not food safety issue.

A novel strain of H1N1 Influenza A, originally identified in humans in Mexico and initially named swine flu has spread world-wide, prompting several nations to ban the import of North American pork.

Novel Virus Continues to Spread
The latest update from the World Health Organization indicates Mexico has reported 1,626 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 45 deaths. The United States has reported 2,254 laboratory confirmed human cases, including two deaths. Canada has reported 280 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death and  Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Laboratory confirmed cases of the virus are also reported Australian and in several South American, Asian and European nations.

Virulence Appears Similar to Currently Circulating Strains of Flu
“In the human population it appears to be no more virulent or severe than just regular seasonal flu’s,” observes Dr. John Harding, an associate professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
“I think the fear, when we first heard about this Mexican swine flu, H1N1 Influenza killing so many people unfortunately in Mexico, was that if it extensively spread throughout the world it would cause severe death.”

Novel Disease Not Necessarily More Severe than Known Strains
Dr. Joel Kettner, Manitoba’s Chief Provincial Public Health Officer cautions it’s too early to draw conclusions. But he agrees, with each passing day, it’s looking more as if this novel strain is not as severe as some had feared.
He acknowledges the new strain has been under heightened media scrutiny. “The technology has advanced a lot for studying viruses so we can look at them more closely. We can be more sure when they’re different, when they’re the same, when they’re new, when they’re old. I think we’ll now have to come to terms with what the significance and meaning of that kind of information is. There was an assumption that a novel virus like this would immediately be a severe illness that would cause a lot more trouble than this one has so far. That’s going to send some people back to the drawing board a little bit about what is the significance of finding a novel virus, whether it’s in humans or whether it’s in pigs or both.”

Biosecurity Remains Critical
Confirmation of the presence of the virus in a central Alberta farrow to finish operation has underscored the need to maintain strict biosecurity procedures on hog farms.

Dr. Harding recalls, at the beginning of the week, we were at one level but we’re up a level at this point.
“It’s also critical that we keep biosecure farms, we isolate, we limit visitation, particularly those who have been recently traveling.”
He notes he is aware of a number of farms that have upgraded their biosecurity protocols and suggests visitation should come to an end while we watch the flu move through the system in hopes that we keep it out of our barns.

Animal Welfare Concerns Prompt Cull on Infected Farm
On Friday (May 8) just under 500 hogs on the quarantined farm were culled in order to address over-crowding concerns. The cull included healthy and recovered animals as well as pigs with flu symptoms.
“Due to the quarantine these animals can not be moved off the farm as they normally would,” explains Dr. Gerald Hauer, Alberta’s Chief Provincial Veterinarian. “As such, we had more animals than is ideal for the space that was available.”

He stresses, “These animals were not culled for being sick, they were culled because of animal welfare concerns. The living conditions would soon become unacceptable due to overcrowding and they would have been in distress.”

Cull Hogs to be Rendered for Disposal
Those hogs closest to market weight, including many that had grown beyond market weight, were the ones culled. They will be disposed of through rendering, a process in which the carcasses are treated with heat and broken down and made into meat and bone meal and tallow.

“Everything has obviously been diverted from the human food chain and we’re diverting them from the rendering chain as well just to be on the safe side,” says Dr. Hauer.

“The rendering will kill the virus. It’s 100 percent safe but we felt there was a need to handle the perception so we’re going to actually take those products and dispose of them as well.”

Influenza Not a Food Safety Issue
Dr. Harding stresses, influenza is in no way a food safety issue. That assertion was brought into question early in the week when a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that pigs infected with H1N1 influenza posed a food safety risk.

Dr. Harding says, although the comment was retracted later the same day, it probably hurt the Canadian swine industry. However he is hopeful that hurt will be short lived.
He explains, there are several reasons why influenza is not a food safety issue.
“Number one, sick pigs in this country are not slaughtered for food. Producers are very good at withholding sick pigs and disposing of them through other means and we have an intact and superb veterinary inspection that precedes the sale of pigs or the killing of pigs for slaughter. Secondly just the virus itself. The virus is contained to lung of the pig and even in healthy pigs that may be circulating upon sale, there will not be any virus in the meat or will not be any virus in the blood of those pigs. It is virtually impossible for the meat to be infected with influenza virus by the time it hits the meat counter at the local retail store. Thirdly, even if it was infected with swine flu which it’s not, appropriate handling and cooking would kill the virus so there is no way that this virus would ever pose a food safety issue to the consumer.”

Industry and Government Target Heightened Public Awareness
Pork producers and government are working diligently to make the public aware of that fact and are calling on the public to buy Canadian pork to help producers through this latest crisis.

Several countries have banned the import of North American pork in response to the spread of this new infection.
Canadian Pork Council (CPC) Chair Jurgen Preugschas estimates hog prices have dropped an estimated 20 cents per kilogram because of the H1N1 flu at a time of year when prices should be increasing. He notes the Canadian, American and Mexican governments have been extremely active in working together to get borders re-opened to North American pork and he is calling on Canadians to eat an extra meal or two per week with pork to help producers cope with the economic impact of the outbreak.

Pork Barbecues Demonstrate Safety of Canadian Pork
On Wednesday (May 6) CPC representatives and federal MPs, including agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, served up a pork barbecue to about 500 invited guests on Parliament Hill to demonstrate the safety of Canadian pork.
“On the domestic side we need the help of Canadians in general,” says Preugschas. “Canadians need to come to the aid of the family farm right now. You need to eat an extra meal or two of pork a week and, when you go to the grocery store, ask your grocer that it is Canadian pork that you’re buying to ensure that we can continue to supply this safe and wholesome product in years to come.”

A similar barbecue is planned for tomorrow on the grounds of the Manitoba legislature. Manitoba Pork Council will provide three barbecue carts and hopes to serve over 1,000 people between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm.

Council Chair Karl Kynoch says this is a follow-up to the Ottawa event and is one of several such barbecues being planned. He says the H1N1 has probably lowered pork consumption a bit but he believes the public has been reassured that this issue has nothing to do with food safety.

“A couple of weeks ago people were pretty nervous but I think people have finally realized, with all the coverage on it, that it’s not food safety issue and pork is safe to eat.”

Resumption of Exports Identified as Priority
However, Kynoch stresses, the priority now is to get the other countries to start buying again.

“Some of the other countries are still using it as a trade barrier so we’ve got to get through that to move forward.”

Preugschas hopes to see other countries follow the lead of the Philippines which, after deciding to err on the side of caution, has re-opened its border to North American pork.

“Now that they have more information, they’re very comfortable that the pork from Canada is safe and they will resume imports immediately. We do hope that that will happen with other countries, that they will start following suit.”

Staff Farmscape.Ca

Keywords: animal welfaretradefood safetymarketprice
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