News from the National Pork Board – July 2012
Proper injection-site protocols for sows
Using proper injection techniques will help increase product efficacy and absorption, while reducing injection-site reactions, broken needles, and residues. If correct dosage of a product is more than 10 mL, as indicated by the label or as directed by a veterinarian, Checkoff research indicates you should follow these steps to prevent a violative residue. Failing to do so can cause a delay in absorption that may result in a violative residue in the meat.
• Never deposit more than 10 mL of an injectable antimicrobial product in one site.
• Separate injection sites by at least 3 inches when multiple injections must be given to deliver the appropriate dose.
• Separate injection sites by at least 3 inches from the previous day’s injection site when multiple-day therapy is needed.
For more information, contact Steve Larsen, SLarsen@pork.org, 515-223-2754.
Let’s keep recordkeeping a priority
Every year, a third-party verification process is used to validate the site-assessment portion of the PQA Plus program. Various categories are evaluated on the operation, including air quality, timely euthanasia, facilities, caretaker training, and more. On the basis of the third-party verification assessment findings, recordkeeping appears to be an area where producers have potential to make the greatest strides in advancement.
As veterinarians, you know how essential it is for producers to keep good records – for their benefit and that of the entire pork industry. So, to help your clients do a better job at this task, here are several tools from the Pork Checkoff to consider: recordkeeping forms, available in the back of your PQA Plus manual or at pork.org, and flash drives (USB sticks) with Excel-based forms, available by calling the Pork Checkoff Service Center at 800-456-7576.
For more information about recordkeeping, contact Dinah Peebles, DPeebles@pork.org, 515-223-2795.
Benchmarking data to aid producers, industry
A new Checkoff-funded study is designed to help producers, veterinarians, and others to make better informed decisions that affect their management practices and potential profitability. That can be done by comparing how their data stacks up to the US production benchmarks and trends measured in the study that included farrowing, nursery, finishing, and wean-to-finish traits. According to Chris Hostetler, Pork Checkoff’s director of animal science, the data gathered represents about 1.8 million sows and their pigs from 2005 to 2010 from farms that are considered medium to large in size. Farrowing, nursery, finishing, and wean-to-finish data were evaluated. The study showed progress in key areas such as piglets per mated female per year, which increased from 21.5 to 23.6; pigs born alive per litter, which increased from 10.77 to 11.83; and pigs weaned per litter, which increased from 9.30 to 10.08.
For more information, contact Chris Hostetler, CHostetler@pork.org, 515-223-2606.
Checkoff offers FAD checklist
If a foreign animal disease (FAD) strikes the United States, immediate action is required to help curtail the damage and confusion that are likely to follow. That’s why the Checkoff science and technology team created a new checklist to do just that. The main steps to take when a FAD outbreak is confirmed in the United States:
1. Get ongoing information about the situation from trusted sources.
2. Abide by all movement requirements and instructions put in place by state and federal animal-health authorities.
3. Heighten biosecurity on your farm(s).
4. Organize and update on-farm information and have it available for review.
5. Have an employee meeting with your veterinarian to review the clinical signs to look for in pigs, and increase the time spent walking pens and visually inspecting pigs for disease.
6. If you suspect a FAD in your pigs, report it IMMEDIATELY to your veterinarian and state or federal animal-health official.
7. Do not preemptively euthanize and dispose of animals that you suspect are infected, have been exposed, or are at risk of exposure.
A more detailed version of this checklist is available on pork.org. For more information, contact Patrick Webb at PWebb@pork.org, 515-223-3532.
