Farmscape for December 24, 2009   (Episode 3383)

A research study planned for the new year will provide producers the information they'll need to decide whether to adopt new needleless injection technology for administering medications to swine.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiative recently introduced a program under which swine producers enrolled in the Canadian Quality Assurance Program are eligible for rebates on the purchase of needleless injectors for administering medications to swine.

The University of Manitoba is preparing to compare the ease of use, the effectiveness of the medication and the effect on animal performance of conventional syringes and needles to that of needleless injectors.

Animal science professor Dr. Martin Nyachoti says researchers expect to test two commercially available devices.

Clip-Dr. Martin Nyachoti-University of Manitoba:
The project we've taken here is that we would like to carry out a study that is obviously representing what is happening in industry and we want to get large enough numbers of animals so that the data we get is robust and can tell us what the advantages are for these devices.

Right now we're talking about probably close to three thousand nursery pigs that will be involved in the project.

At this stage we've had some preliminary discussions as to where the project is going to be involved and we think that we have some agreements but they are yet to be confirmed that it will be held in one of the large commercial facilities within the province.

The people that are involved will be myself from here from the university and some of my colleague here will be involved as well.

As well the industry partner that we're going to work with on the project.

Their staff members will be involved in the actual data collection and we've had some discussions in terms of the design of the experiment and we'll probably get some government people involved as well.

Dr. Nyachoti expects the project to take about six months from start to finish.

He says an extension report will be prepared and delivered though Manitoba Pork Council and he hopes to see the information presented at producer seminars.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council