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The chair of the National Farm Animal Care Council's Pig Code Development Committee reports the effort to complete a draft updated Pig Code of Practice for public release by June 1 is on target.
The National Farm Animal Care Council's Pig Code Development Committee, made up of pork producers, practicing veterinarians, swine researchers and representatives of government and animal welfare organizations, is drafting a revised Pig Code of Practice.
Pig Code Development Committee chair Florian Possberg says the committee has addressed a broad range of issues but the three key areas of focus have included space allowance for animals, the use of gestation stalls for sows and pain control for painful procedures.
"The process requires us to try to reach consensus. As well we continually want to be basing it on good science so the information of the science committee is quite critical as well. That part is pretty much done.
I think we've come to the point where we have the ingredients for our draft code. What we're doing now is finalizing the wording on the draft code. It needs to go to editors to check over how it's put together and it of course needs to be translated into French as well and that needs to be edited.
If everything works well from here on in we should have the draft of our code available for public release on or before June 1 of this year."
The release of the draft Pig Code of Practice will be followed by a 60 day public comment period after which the draft will be revised for implementation in the fall or summer of 2013.
For more on the process visit the National Farm Animal Care Council's web site at NFACC.Ca.
March 5, 2013 - Alberta Pork
