Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Program helps Ontario's swine industry enhance PED biosecurity measures

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

by SUSAN MANN

An Ontario Pork poll has found that the province’s pork producers are very interested in the new Growing Forward 2 program created specifically for the swine industry to enhance their biosecurity for protection from porcine epidemic diarrhea virus.

The poll, conducted during a town hall telephone meeting on Tuesday, asked producers whether they planned to apply for funding to the new program. Of the 215 people who responded, 77 per cent said yes, says Ontario Pork communications coordinator Kimberley Coyle.

First confirmed on an Ontario farm in Middlesex County on Jan. 22, the virus is now confirmed on 21 farms and in assembly yards, trucking facilities and processing plants.

The most recent case of the virus was confirmed today on a farrow-to-finish operation in the Hamilton-Wentworth Region.

Traces of virus material have also been found in feed samples from Ontario farms with confirmed cases, and these samples are now being tested by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The industry’s goal is to limit the virus’ spread through stringent biosecurity measures, the Ontario agriculture ministry says on its website.

Announced in January, the PED biosecurity program is funded by the Ontario and federal governments to provide money for all sectors of the swine industry, including farmers, truckers, abattoirs, assembly facilities and rendering services, to enhance their biosecurity. The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association is delivering the program. Applications are being accepted until March 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Barb Caswell, association program coordinator, says the program “supports projects that work toward responding quickly and effectively to risks and reducing key risks.” A biosecurity risk assessment isn’t required to be eligible for the program but the cost of getting the assessment done by a business’s veterinarian is covered.

One of the most popular eligible projects people are applying for so far is construction of an anteroom on a barn or building a wash bay. People wanting to construct a new facility for a wash bay would have to make it a dedicated facility to receive Growing Forward 2 PED special program funding for that project, she notes.

To access funding, businesses, such as assembly yards, transporters and dead stock operators, must be identified in Ontario’s list of businesses or be licensed. Farmers and businesses must be actively involved in the Ontario swine industry, have a valid farm business registration number or equivalent and have a valid premise identification number.

Approved projects can get 75 per cent of their costs covered through the program up to a maximum amount. Caswell says the maximum amount depends of the type of operation. For a non-farrowing operation, the maximum amount is $5,000, while for a farrowing operation, transporter, assembly yard, dead stock operator or an abattoir the cap is $20,000.

Within the program, these five best management practices have been identified:

•    Construction or modification of a transition area or an anteroom.
•    Facility flow management.
•    Traffic management.
•    Mortality management.
•    Cleaning and disinfection capacity.

Caswell says within each best management practice outlined in the program guide on the association’s website, there is a list of eligible and ineligible activities.

People can submit one application per premise identification number. The application can have multiple projects on one application per premise identification. Caswell says in filling out the application people should choose one best management practice “whatever the major one is that you’re applying with.”

Eligible costs under the special PED biosecurity program can be incurred retroactively to April 1, 2013 and up to Oct. 31, 2014. Completed projects that haven’t been funded through Growing Forward 2 already could “be eligible for cost share under this program,” she says. Claims can be made from April 1 to Nov. 28.

Farmers whose projects don’t qualify for the special PED biosecurity program can apply for money under the Growing Forward 2 implementation program funding with the next time slot when applications are being accepted coming up on April 1 and closing on May 1.

The implementation program is merit-based and only the very best projects get cost-shared funding. The special PED biosecurity program is not merit based. Caswell says that means all eligible projects from eligible applicants submitted on time with costs falling within the timelines outlined for the program are funded.

More information on the PED biosecurity special intake is available on the association’s website. BF
 

 

Current Issue

August 2025

Better Pork Magazine

Farms.com Swine News

Could Farm Jobs be Made Easier with Telehandlers?

Friday, August 29, 2025

Farm work has always depended on tractors and loaders, but today farmers are increasingly turning to telehandlers for their flexibility and efficiency. JLG Industries, an Oshkosh Corporation business, has applied its long experience in material handling to create a dedicated line of JLG... Read this article online

Alberta Student Named First Barrett Rankin Schola

Friday, August 29, 2025

FMC Canada has named Liam Dechaine of Botha, Alberta, as the first recipient of the Barrett Rankin Memorial Scholarship. The $5,000 award recognizes students entering the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources who demonstrate exceptional leadership, a strong... Read this article online

New Funding Boost for Alberta Beef Industry

Friday, August 29, 2025

Alberta’s government is strengthening its rural economy by raising the lending cap on the Feeder Associations Loan Guarantee Program (FALGP). The program supports livestock producers by helping them access affordable financing to buy animals and expand their herds. Alberta is recognized... Read this article online

Tips for first year university students

Friday, August 29, 2025

The final weekend of summer is here, and students across Ontario will be returning to class next week. That includes at the University of Guelph’s Ridgetown Campus, where staff, faculty, and volunteers are preparing to welcome a new crop of first year students. “There’s definitely a... Read this article online

Sterling buckle marks 170 years at Spencerville Fair

Friday, August 29, 2025

For its 170th anniversary, the Spencerville Fair is presenting a distinctive piece of Canadian silverwork that reflects nearly two centuries of agricultural tradition. The 170th Anniversary Spencerville Fair Sterling Silver Buckle was designed and handcrafted by Alex Dordevic of TRIBE, a... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top