There are three areas of management practices that need to be addressed to ensure safe pork handling.

The first management area is herd health. Herd health is important because it is related to animal management, which is a requirement of Pig SAFE. It is essential to have a veterenarian-client relationship as they are responsible for addressing herd health concerns and must be familiar with the herd. The veternarian is responsible for keeping herd vaccinations up-to-date and administering drugs to the herd. Keeping updated herd medical records is one of the key health management practices.

A second component of management is barn management. The primary component of barn management is sanitation. Poor sanitation increases the risk of disease which has negative implications for herd management. Sanitations measures must include: one cleaning measure, one washing measure, and one disinfection measure. These are also standard operating procedures (SOP) related to hazard control, which was discussed in our earlier blog. Drainage must be checked to make sure it is functioning properly and bedded pens must be changed at minimum once per year, but should be changed as often as needed. Pest management is another important component of barn management. Pests spread disease and pose great health risks to the herd. Bait and traps can be used for pest management, and must be checked regularly.

Feed and water management is important to ensure the herd receives appropriate and adequate nutrition and hydration. It is a major critical control point (CCP) that is outlined by Pig SAFE and is covered in our blog INSERT LINK. The herd needs to be regularly monitored for signs of dehydration. A backup water source should be in place in the event there are issues with the primary source. Sufficient daily feed quantities are established based on the body conditions of individual pigs. Feed must be managed carefully to avoid under or overweight pigs.

It is important to note that this is a condensed list of management practices related to pork handling and that more detail can be found on government websites, which have been included below. Elite Agri Solutions offers in-person and online pork handling training. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

Sources:

https://www.cpc-ccp.com/file.aspx?id=b56101a2-8bc5-4b8a-b521-a36df2464009

https://www.cpc-ccp.com/food-safety