Ontario Pork town hall meeting to address PED and Seneca Valley virus Wednesday, February 17, 2016 by SUSAN MANNOntario Pork is hosting a telephone town hall meeting Monday to update producers and industry representatives on porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and Seneca Valley virus in the province.Mary Jane Quinn, communications and consumer marketing manager, says the speakers will be Amy Cronin, board chair, Mike DeGroot, Ontario Pork technical programs veterinarian, and pig veterinarian Doug MacDougald of South West Ontario Veterinary Services.The meeting will be held from noon to 1 p.m. and will include information on new PED cases, surveillance results and ways to mitigate PED risks along with key points to consider in PED elimination.The update on Seneca Valley virus will include information on marketing and processing pigs confirmed to have the virus.The virus made its first confirmed appearance in Canada in October on three farms in Ontario and Manitoba.Seneca Valley causes vesicular lesions on pigs’ snouts and feet, similar to foot-and-mouth disease. It is not, however, considered production limiting and poses no threat to human health. The virus can cause increased mortality in pigs less than seven days old and possibly diarrhea.Since January 2014 when PED was first confirmed in Ontario, there have been 90 cases. The most recent cases were confirmed Feb. 9 in a finishing barn in Middlesex County and in a finishing barn in Perth County. BF Plan underway to wipe PED from province Farmers must work together to restore public confidence
Group calls on Health Canada to make labels mandatory for gene-edited pork Tuesday, March 10, 2026 An advocacy group of farmers and environmental organizations wants Health Canada to implement mandatory labelling on pork from gene-edited pigs. Earlier this year, the federal agency approved the sale of gene-edited pigs as food. The pigs are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and... Read this article online
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Canada invests in youth ag employment Monday, March 9, 2026 The federal government is investing in the future ag workforce. On March 5 at the Atlantic Council Cereals and Oilseeds conference, Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald announced $27 million over two years in AAFC’s Youth Employment and Skills Program. This program, originally launched... Read this article online
SARM Calling for Stronger Rural Emergency Funding Friday, March 6, 2026 The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) is calling on provincial and federal governments to strengthen funding and partnerships that support emergency response services across rural Saskatchewan. Rural municipalities playa major rolein protecting communities during... Read this article online