Canada - Award of Distinction for Hog Transportation

The Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan Inc. (FACS) together with the Saskatchewan Pork Development Board is pleased to the “Award of Distinction for Hog Transportation Handling.” Quality animal care and welfare are priorities for the livestock industry. Consumers and retailers demand assurance that the food they purchase and consume has been raised in a humane manner. Every step in the production process is critical for the pork industry to continue to provide nutritious, high quality pork products. Animal care and welfare doesn’t end at the farmgate. Improper handling by transporters can detrimentally affect the health of animals being transported and ultimately the quality of the end product. Truckers are a critical link in the production process since losses resulting from inadequate care or animal handling, and unsafe equipment can cost the industry many millions of dollars each year. Healthy, unstressed animals are essential to successful pork production. Harvey Wagner, Sask Pork’s Producer Services Manager has delivered the Trucker Quality Assurance® program to more than 600 provincial pork producers and haulers over the past year. Says Wagner, “The transportation process is very stressful for livestock and the truckers’ approach to animal handling makes all the difference!” Drivers must have completed the pork industry Trucker Quality Assurance (TQA™) program and consistently demonstrate exceptional animal care and handling techniques, a solid understanding of animal behavior, and possess the ability to recognize signs of discomfort, dangerous conditions and when an animal shouldn’t be transported. All Saskatchewan truckers and organizations directly involved in the transporting of live hogs are eligible to be nominated. The deadline for nominations is November 15. Awards will be presented at the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan Annual General Meeting on December 12th in Saskatoon. To obtain a nomination form or additional information please contact the Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan or Sask Pork.