Health
PIC's approach to health
The aim of the PIC Health Program is to provide safe distribution of
genetic improvement. The company works with customers and their
veterinarians to deliver breeding stock or semen while avoiding
dissemination of economically significant diseases into customer herds.
PIC strives to have a Health Program where communication with
customers and their veterinary advisers is open and honest.
Basis of PIC's Health Program
The PIC Health Program is based on the implementation of principles that
have evolved since the company was founded in 1962. They can be
grouped into four overall guiding principles:
- Establish herds of high health status: All herds under the control
of PIC's Health Program must be established in biosecure
locations with the healthiest pigs available for the
purpose.
- Protect herds from disease introduction: All PIC herds are
expected to observe PIC biosecurity standards which are some of
the strictest in the industry.
- Have surveillance and monitoring systems in place: With a
priority of minimising the risk of dissemination of infections to
customers' herds, all PIC herds are continuously assessed for the
presence of diseases, biosecurity breaches, and compliance with
protocols.
- Have contingencies in place: In the event a significant pathogen
is suspected to enter the system, PIC has mechanisms in place
for immediate and pre-determined action to prevent disease
movement within the PIC system as well as downstream to
customers' herds.
Why is health so important?
Diseases are very costly, and represent one of the most important
contributing factors limiting expression of animals' genetic potential.
For producers, good health brings lower costs as well as greater
predictability to the output of their production systems. PIC's Health
Program aims at protecting and improving the health status of customer
herds so the genetic potential of their pigs can be realised.
Aside from productivity and financial benefits of keeping diseases out of
systems, it is just good sound husbandry to do so. Stockpeople do not
want to see the pigs under their care suffering from the effects of
diseases.
As part of PIC New Zealand’s commitment to the pig industry we offer a
full support service in completing depopulations and repopulations. Due to our extensive network of breeding farms we have the ability to repopulate most farms in the shortest of time frames to reduce
cashflow downtime.
PIC New Zealand contracts our veterinary and technical services to Dr
Bruce Welch at PVS, which monitors the health status of all PIC farms,
manages the breeding program requirements for PIC and provides
consultancy services to PIC customers.
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