May 10, 2007

Canadian pork council surveys pig farmers on vaccine costs

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) has asked Canadian pig producers details on the costs on vaccine following a recent Canadian Pork Value Chain report stating the cost of hog vaccines in Canada, where products accessed through veterinarians clearly differ from those in the US where products are accessed directly from the manufacturers.

CPC technical issues analyst Morgan Radford said producers will be asked for information on vaccine costs, the number of doses obtained from a bottle and the month of purchase and compare the data from its US counterparts.

Radford noted the survey will be used to establish a sketchy figure on average on how much Canadian pork producers should actually pay for their vaccines.

Currently producers are not allowed to import vaccines from the US but there is a permitting system through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Radford said through the system, a pig farmer can become a designated importer and purchase directly from the manufacturer in the US.

However manufacturers in the US have not expressed its interest until now in supplying to individual farmers as Radford said "they don't want to interfere with the current distribution system for vaccines in Canada".

Radford suggests vaccines, which are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and pharmaceutical products which are regulated by Health Canada's Veterinary Drugs Directorate, need to be examined separately.

She notes a comparison of pharmaceutical costs doesn't show much of differential in the hog industry.