By Bruce Cochrane.
Two "Smart Pig Handling" videos released by Manitoba Pork have attracted almost 300 thousand hits on youtube.
Manitoba Pork released a series of Smart Pig Handling Videos in late 2013 designed to help train new personnel in hog barns on low stress pig handling techniques.
The series consists of two core chapters, one on pig behavior and how that can influence the handlers' interaction with pigs and one on how that behavior can be used to control the movement of pigs in a way that will maintain a low stress environment, as well as four supplemental chapters.
Mark Fynn, the Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork, reports the response to the videos has been gratifying.
Mark Fynn-Manitoba Pork:
It's been really neat actually.
We produced the full six chapters on DVD to hand out to producers and we've distributed those all across Canada.
In addition we've had people from all around the world, different companies from all around the world asking us for copies of that DVD.
In addition to that we put those two core chapters up on youtube and we've generated, for one of them, 150 thousand hits and for the other about 120 thousand hits so far to date, which is quite impressive in agriculture in my opinion.
I would say it's viral for agriculture.
We've had some really good feedback from producers on that.
The biggest compliment I think that we could have for that committee that developed these videos is the number of companies that have come on board and trainers within those companies that really want this video to train their new employees.
That's usually a good sign that what's in them is actually good quality and working well for them.
Fynn says, to view the two core chapters, search "pig handling" on youtube or visit the manitobapork.com web site and for the four supplemental videos contact your local provincial pork organization.
Source: Farmscape