The Canadian Pork Industry’s Perspective on Swine Welfare Research

The Canadian pork industry places a high priority on swine welfare and strives to continuously improve it. Canada has a long history of producing high-quality swine welfare research from its universities and centres of excellence, much of which is highly and immediately applicable to the industry. The most recent edition of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs, which outlines standards of care expected at all Canadian pig farms, was developed by the industry and published in 2014. The development and implementation of the Code identified a number of priorities related to swine welfare that require further research. Other research priorities to address current welfare challenges in the Canadian pork industry have also been identified recently. These priorities include social, environmental, nutritional, and management factors that impact swine welfare.