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Antibiotic use in raising hogs
Our society is becoming increasingly concerned about the use of antibiotics in animal production,
with alternative drug choices for the treatment of many bacterial infections becoming more limited, more expensive or non-existent. Maple Leaf is committed to minimizing or eliminating the use of antibiotics wherever possible, while maintaining high standards of animal care.
The Canadian pork industry and regulatory authorities are actively seeking means to further restrict, reduce and monitor antibiotic use. There is significant focus on implementing changes that achieve this without negatively impacting animal welfare, health and food quality.
Maple Leaf is also actively seeking ways to reduce antibiotic use by:
- Regularly performing bacterial culture and sensitivity testing
- Using alternative management strategies to reduce injury and illness
- Adopting even more comprehensive vaccination protocols to prevent disease
- Further enhancing biosecurity on our farms to reduce the risk of pathogen exposure
- We also contribute to industry, scientific and government efforts to further the responsible use of antibiotics on-farm in Canada.