Pig Code Development Progress Report
Meetings
2012
2011
2010
Meeting #6 – May 2 and 3, 2012
The sixth meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee convened in Ottawa for two days starting on May 2, 2012. A total of 7 conference calls were held between the last meeting held in February and the start of this meeting. The Section Review Committees are making great progress with respect to refining the various sections of the code; however, the Code Development Committee must still review each and every paragraph of every section. The committee was brought up to speed on the status of the Peer Review of the Scientists’ Committee Report. The Pig SC is scheduled to meet by teleconference the following week to discuss the comments submitted by the three reviewers, as well as what the SC would like to include in its list of future research needs.
For the third time since the SC Report was reviewed by the Code Development Committee, a great deal of time was spent discussing and refining the committee’s approaches to some of the more challenging issues such as sow housing, space allowance, castration, tail docking, teeth clipping and environmental enrichment. In addition, the committee reviewed recent research on euthanasia.
Direction was provided to the Code Secretariat with respect to how the current addendum for Early Weaned Piglets should be included in the updated Code, as well as the content that needs to be included in the Code Introduction.
On the second day, the Code Development Committee started to review some of the section drafts that were included on the agenda. The committee completed its review of the Feed and Water section, and reviewed the entire section on Transportation. Once again, the project work plan was reviewed, and the group was reminded about the next meeting, which is scheduled for August 8 and 9, 2012 in Ottawa.
Meeting #5 – February 22 and 23, 2012
The fifth meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee convened in Ottawa for two days starting on February 22, 2012. Once again, conference calls of the Section Review Committees were held prior to the meeting, and drafts of sections covering Feed and Water, Euthanasia, Husbandry Practices and Transportation were circulated to the Code Development Committee in advance of the meeting with the intention of having the full committee review the current drafts in Ottawa.
The CDC was brought up to date on the status of the peer review of the Scientists’ Committee Report. A Peer Review Coordinator had been identified, and at the time of the meeting, the Code SC Report was under review by three scientists in accordance with the NFACC Code Process. Following the peer review, the Code Scientists’ Committee will discuss the peer comments, and make changes to the report as it deems appropriate.
Most of the morning of the first day was once again used to discuss some of the more difficult issues that the Code Development Committee is tasked with addressing. In particular, the use of gestation stalls in Canada, and how any changes to current practices could realistically be implemented was discussed at length. The group also reviewed and refined its approaches to pig space allowances and castration. Much of the afternoon was spent discussing tail docking, teeth clipping and environmental enrichment, with a view to developing general approaches that could be reflected in the Code.
On the second day, the section covering Euthanasia was reviewed, as was part of the section on Feed and Water. With time running short, the Section Review Committees were tasked with continuing their work through conference calls, and the review of the rest of the Feed and Water section and the section covering Transportation were deferred until the next meeting.
The committee reviewed a revised work plan and agreed that a full 8 meetings, including the one that would be used to review input from the public comment period, would be necessary. The committee is scheduled to meet for meetings #6 and #7 in May and August, 2012.
Meeting #4 – November 9 and 10, 2011
The fourth meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee was a two-day meeting that was held in Ottawa. Prior to the meeting, 5 of 6 conference calls of the Section Review Committees were held and as a result, drafts of sections covering Husbandry Practices, Euthanasia and Feed and Water were revised and circulated to the Section Review Committee members for additional comment prior to this CDC meeting.
While the agenda allocated time to review the revised section drafts, with the first draft of Scientists’ Committee report complete, the CDC spent the majority of the first day focused on the conclusions contained in the report, and discussing how the information can be incorporated into the Code. The SC chair provided a comprehensive presentation that reviewed the report’s conclusions and the correlating supporting research. Not surprisingly, the committee spent a great deal of time discussing sow housing, castration and pig space allowance.
On day 2, the CDC spent most of the day discussing how the code of practice could be written to obtain a balance between welfare issues, international trade issue and the industry’s business realities with respect to sow housing, castration and pig space allowances. Recognizing the sensitive nature of these issues from all perspectives, many CDC members felt that further discussion is necessary before agreeing to a specific directions and/or transition periods.
The CDC also reviewed the work plan for the remaining project, and set a date for the next meeting. Additional conference calls of the Section Review Committees will be scheduled in the meantime as required to refine section drafts. The committee is scheduled to meet again in February, 2012.
Meeting #3 – June 22 and 23, 2011
The third meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee was a two-day meeting that was held in Ottawa. Once again, an update on the progress of the Scientists’ Committee was provided. CDC members learned that the Scientists’ Committee assigned two members to be the lead advisors on each Priority Welfare Issue to provide guidance and direction to the research writer. Following the update, the committee got to work by reviewing the initial drafts of the sections covering Accommodation, Housing and Handling Facilities and Transportation.
The CDC expressed frustration over how long the process of reviewing code sections was taking and became increasingly concerned over the committee’s ability to produce a completed code within the allotted timeframe. As a result, much of the morning on the second day was spent strategizing on how the code review process could be improved upon. Borrowing a page from the Scientists’ Committee’s book, the Code Development Committee agreed to form one sub-committee for each section in the Code. Members volunteered to participate on one or more Section Review Committees, and agreed that the Code Review Committees would meet via teleconference calls between meetings to review the code sections. Input from the sub-committees will be incorporated into the section drafts before the drafts are tabled at CDC meetings and discussed by the committee as a whole. The code secretariat was tasked with developing a work schedule that planned for 6 Section Review Committee conference calls to occur before the next CDC meeting. As a result, the revised work plan for the code review process will also have to be revised.
Meeting #2 – April 6 and 7, 2011
The second meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee was a two-day meeting that was held in Ottawa. The meeting opened with a brief presentation on commitments on animal welfare that are included in Embracing a Sustainable Future, the strategy document that had recently been released by the Manitoba Pork Council. A second presentation provided a brief review of the code process, the scope and objectives of the code, and targeted dates for important milestones. The role of and Terms of Reference for the Scientists’ Committee were reviewed, along with SC progress to date. The group agreed on a process for reviewing section drafts of the code. The initial drafts of the sections covering Feed and Water and Health and Welfare Management were reviewed.
Meeting #1 – December 13, 2010
The first meeting of the Pig Code Development Committee (CDC) was a full-day meeting that was held in Ottawa. The main objectives of the meeting were to:
- Provide an opportunity for CDC members to meet and dialogue;
- Introduce CDC members to the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), and review NFACC’s role in addressing domestic and international market expectations relative to farm animal welfare;
- Familiarize CDC members with the NFACC Code Process, and the roles of the CDC and its members;
- Establish guidelines on how the committee will function;
- Identify a preliminary list of Priority Welfare Issues for review by the Pig Scientist’s Committee (SC);
- Agree on a skeleton Code of Practice outline.
The CDC reviewed a summary of Priority Welfare Issues that were submitted by CDC members prior to the meeting, and agreed on a list of topics that they felt would benefit from a review of published scientific literature. The list of issues that were identified by the CDC was sent to the Pig Scientists’ Committee after the meeting for their discussion and input. Shortly thereafter, both committees arrived at an agreement on a final list of Priority Welfare Issues. The committee also agreed on a skeleton code structure that will include 6 sections covering the following major topics:
- Accommodation, Housing and Handling Facilities;
- Feed and Water
- Health and Welfare Management
- Husbandry Practices
- Transportation
- Euthanasia
The meeting adjourned with the understanding that the code secretariat would start drafting sections of the code for the CDC to start reviewing at its next meeting.