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