Antibiotic-free pork production offers marketing advantage, says past president of the Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians

By Bruce Cochrane, Farmscape & Lynn Redl-Huntington

A veterinarian with Southwest Vets suggests swine farms capable of eliminating antibiotic use could have a marketing advantage over farms than can't. "Antibiotics or Not?" will be among the topics discussed as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2022 November 15 and 16 in Saskatoon.

Dr. Greg Wideman, a veterinarian with South West Vets, says the market does signal that there is a consumer appetite for pork from pigs that are raised without antibiotics.

”Antibiotic use in food animal production remains a really high priority issue because of our understanding about antimicrobial resistance and the very real human health problems that can be and holding that in balance with the need to care for animals, including sick animals and the fact that that sometimes does require antibiotic,” said Dr. Greg Wideman, a past president of the Ontario and Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians.

“In eastern Canada and I think to some extent in western Canada as well, marketing of one pig is a challenge and so a farm that is able to produce pigs without the use of antibiotics in theory could have a marketing advantage over a farm that is unable to do that and that could be desirable. More generally I think it's important for probably every farm, whether their mode of production is conventional or some form of antibiotic-free, I think it's important to be asking ourselves the question, "what is the minimum amount of antibiotics we need to keep the pigs healthy, protect the welfare of the pig and protect food safety without going overboard and using more than we have to and incurring the added cost of that, not to mention the added risk of creating antimicrobial resistance,” added Dr. Wideman.

The Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium is recognized as one of Canada’s leading pork industry conferences, attracting more than 250 producers, industry stakeholders and government representatives. Expert local, national, and international speakers share the latest information and trends on hog production, animal health and welfare, new technology, and the global outlook for the North American hog industry.

Dr. Wideman suggests health is king so a farm that's free or could be made free of diseases that drive antibiotic use is number one.

Purchase your tickets now for the 2022 Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium.

For more visit farmscape.ca.