Behind the Lines - December 2008

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The theme behind this issue of Better Pork is getting on with business. And, in this regard, at a time when prospects for the Ontario pork industry seem to be at ebb tide, we found inspiration in western Ontario-based Paragon Farms.

Our readers will be familiar with some of the players in Paragon. We featured them in a cover story on Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) in the pork industry in the inaugural issue of Better Pork, published in February, 2000. Then, the people running Paragon  Farms' operations were part of Cold Springs Farm, a storied turkey and pork producing operation based in Thamesford.

The current operators of Paragon are still located in Thamesford and are no longer involved in turkey production. They are now linked with a farm group in Michigan which also produces pork and turkeys, with connections that go back many years. When first approached about publishing a story about Paragon Farms, general manager Rob McDougall, faced with the challenges of getting a fledgling operation off the ground, was understandably reluctant. In time, he came around, and we are glad that he did.  

The theme here is that if you treat others right in business, they will remember you and be happy to work with you again. The story, by Don Stoneman, begins on page 6.

Also on the theme of getting on with business, our European writer Norman Dunn covers the progress being made on castrating baby male pigs without anesthetic, a topic that has come to the forefront in Europe where animal welfare issues are paramount. Developments in European swine production are sometimes exported here more quickly than we expect. This story can be found on page 36.

Finally, pigs are much like humans and some diseases can cross from swine livestock to humans rather easily. In this issue, our Health section has the health of human swine workers as much in mind as that of the livestock they handle.

First, University of Guelph scientists Beth Young and Cate Dewey look at Toxoplasma gondii and how to keep it out of the pig barn. Then they examine Streptococcus suis, which can cause permanent injury to infected humans who catch it while working in pig barns. The two stories start on page 28 and 30 respectively.

Beginning on page 32, Ernest Sanford addresses the issue of Listeriosis, starting with the crisis that has enveloped Maple Leaf Foods, Ontario's largest pork processor.

Finally, I hope you continue to enjoy the ongoing changes in our Second Look section on our back page. This month, Ken McEwan, a professor on the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph, looks at the prospects for Ontario's pork processors competing in a global market. The Maple Leaf plant has been a key part of the Ontario industry and there has been much angst over it. 


ROBERT IRWIN