Sightings reported through the Farm Health Guardian app will now feed into the province’s Squeal on Pigs campaign, an initiative launched earlier this year under the auspices of the Manitoba Invasive Swine Eradication Project.
Why it matters: The Prairies’ growing wild pig problem has sparked farmer concern over its potential as a hog disease reservoir.
Dr. Wayne Lees, co-ordinator of the eradication program, said data from the app will add to reports that Squeal on Pigs already collects through phone tips or the campaign’s website.
“We’ve created another channel so that, if people on those farms see wild pigs in the vicinity, we’ve just made it one step easier for them to report that to us,” he said.
The app itself should be familiar to many pork producers.
Rob Hannam, CEO of Farm Health Guardian, estimated about half of Manitoba pig farms use his company’s services for things like biosecurity tracking and data collection.
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