Spring Creek Colony First Major Swine Farm in Canada to Ship "RWA" Hogs

Farmers at Spring Creek Hutterite Colony near the Alberta and Saskatchewan border have achieved a milestone in the evolution of Canadian hog production by becoming among the first major farms in the Canadian Prairies to ship 'RWA' (Raised Without Antibiotics) hogs to market.

 

The shipment of 200 hogs at market weight of 265 pounds was loaded last Thursday and a second similar shipment is planned today. The customer for both is Britco Pork Inc., based in Langley, B.C., a specialty pork processing division of Donald's Fine Foods which plans to sell the RWA pork in greater Vancouver and the lower mainland.

 

"We’re very excited about this -- to be among the first producers of RWA pork in Canada," says Paul Hofer, swine manager for Spring Creek Colony. "Any time you change a production approach you have to be very careful. We were a bit nervous at first, but we took it slow, got the right advice and implemented the right practices."

 

"Everything has gone very well for us," says Mike Hofer, assistant swine manager. "The barn is clicking on all cylinders and the full flow of our swine production is now going out RWA. Average days to market, feed conversion, gain, even mortality -- it’s either similar or often significantly better under the new program."

 

The progress by Spring Creek may prove a key tipping point for swine production in Western Canada and beyond, as more operations consider shifting to reduced use of antimicrobials and / or RWA approaches. Rising interest in this evolution has been driven by changing marketplace demands and new restrictions coming such as the Veterinary Feed Directive in the U.S., taking effect January 1, 2017, and similar new rules planned for Canada.

 

The antimicrobial use issue is not black and white, says Paul Hofer. But the bottom line, as Spring Creek Colony sees it, is that farming operations are best positioned for the future if they can reduce reliance on antimicrobials as much as possible without compromising animal health and welfare.

 

"I think the future is coming this way . . . it's what the marketplace wants and what consumers want,” says Paul Hofer. “We figured if we’re going to be in this business long-term then this is the best approach and we should get ahead of the curve. For us, animal health and welfare is still first and foremost. Part of our approach is doing all we can to create an environment where disease risk is as low as possible and where the animals are well supported, for example with nutritious high quality feed and clean water.  We try to keep the disease challenges down in the barn and keep a healthy gut in the pig."

 

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.