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www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — FEBRUARY 5/FEBRUARY 12, 2021
Safety, sanitation are key to succesful home processing PROCESSING, from pg. 15 processing food of any kind is important. Regulators of food safety use Food and Drug Administration’s eight key sanitation conditions when evaluating food-processing procedures: Safety of the water that comes in contact with
food or food contact surfaces, or is used in the manufacturing of ice. Water will be needed to clean surfaces, tools and equipment. But if the water itself is not clean, then contamination will occur. Condition and cleanliness of food contact surfaces — including utensils, gloves and outer garments. Think about every surface the carcass will come in
Flu viruses can pass from pigs to people
SWINE & U, from pg. 17 Paul campus is the surveillance site. Information gathered there can help determine the presence of or changes in influenza virus on pig farms. Because flu viruses can be transmitted between pigs and people, guidelines are in place for pig handlers and farm team members. As always, biosecurity is important to prevent the spread of influenza from pigs to people and from workers to pigs. Wearing personal protective equipment like gloves and masks that cover nose and mouth can reduce the transfer of flu virus. Workers should not eat, drink or put anything in their mouth in pig areas. Also important is hand-washing often with soap and running water before and after working with pigs. If soap and water is not available,
an alcohol-based hand rub is recommended. Pig barn employees with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever ends. The National Pork Board and the U.S. Center for Disease Control recommend that people who work with pigs get a seasonal flu vaccination. Vaccinations are the most valuable tool for preventing flu transmission. Annual vaccination will prevent the spread of the flu between people and from people to pigs. Flu season is here. Make sure that you, your family, and your pigs are protected against the disease. Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator specializing in swine for the University of Minnesota Extension. Her e-mail address is stouf002@umn.edu v
SWINE STUDY, from pg. 16
the U.S. pig farms with fewer than 1,000 pigs. North Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, and six small urban states in the northeastern United States are the states who do not have a large population of small enterprise swine farms. Why participate? Producers who are selected to participate in the 2021 NAHMS Swine Study can benefit the swine industry in a number of ways. The data supplied will provide transparent, credible information on industry practices which will help counter misinformation. In an effort to understand disease preparedness strengths and vulnerabilities, the data will help policymakers and industry stakeholders make sciencebased decisions. The information gathered can be used by researchers and private enterprise to focus on swine health issues — both large and small; and identify educational needs related to health and production on small and large swine farms. The NAHMS swine team is gearing up to meet and visit with swine producers across the United States beginning in the summer of 2021. Producer participation is a great way to provide credible data to researchers, and later in the study, to get some biologics testing of the herd. Data collected in this 2021 study will provide an unquestionable benchmark for swine production and health in the United States, and assist the industry in planning for the future. Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator specializing in swine for the University of Minnesota Extension. Her e-mail address is stouf002@umn.edu v
Swine study prevents misinformation
trast, this study will collect data from swine operations with fewer than 1,000 pigs. The NAHMS team hopes to learn more about the swine health and management practices used on these farms and the alternative marketing strategies they implement. Small enterprise swine production is a growing sector of the U.S. swine industry because it’s a primary supplier of many niche-market products. This industry segment is very diverse, and the study hopes to learn more about small-farm health and production practices, animal movement and mortality on small pig farms; while contrasting the differences between small and large pig operations. For the small swine enterprise study, 5,000 swine operations from 38 states will be asked to participate. Interestingly, these 38 states account for 95 percent of
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contact with. Prevention of cross-contamination. Crosscontamination can happen when things which are not considered food contact surfaces. These include the outer garments of those butchering the pig and the utensils used, etc. Maintenance of hand washing, sanitizing, and toilet facilities. Proper hand washing is extremely important because improper handwashing or improper personal hygiene can be the cause of cross-contamination. Protection of food, food packaging materials, and food contact surfaces from contamination from lubricants, fuel, pesticides, cleaning compounds, sanitizing agents, and other chemical, physical and biological contaminants. Where a pig is butchered matters because it is extremely important not to get unwanted material in the meat. Proper labeling and storage of the meat product is important. Be sure to have adequate space to store the meat product and at a temperature that is safe. The health condition of the individuals doing the butchering is important to food safety as well. If a person is coughing and sneezing while butchering for example, this could result in microbiological contamination of food, food packaging materials and food contact surfaces. Exclusion of pests from the food. If butchering outdoors, pests such as flies, ants, birds, etc. can all carry bacteria and other things which can contaminate the meat. Proper handling of the pig The condition in which a pig is handled prior to butchering not only impacts their well-being, but research has also shown can cause adverse effects on the quality of the pork from that pig. A stressed and agitated pig will also be much more difficult to handle. When handling a pig it is recommended to have sorting panels or something solid like plywood to help guide the pig in the direction you want them to go. The sorting board can be used to restrain a pig’s movement. For example, if the sorting board will be used to restrain the pig along a gate or side of a pen for stunning. When doing this, it is important to have sturdy gating. The pig should have good footing to minimize chance of the pig slipping. If a firearm is used to stun the pig, be sure to think about human safety in terms of the surrounding area. Pay attention to the flooring the pig is on to minimize the chance of the bullet ricocheting off objects if the pig is missed or the bullet goes through the pig. Tthe video, “How to butcher a pig for home use,” created by the University of Minnesota Extension Swine Team explains the points mentioned and more. It also shows the butchering process post bleed out through cutting the carcass into primal cuts. Be sure to check it out if you plan to butcher a pig (https://z.umn.edu/HowToButcherPigVideo). Sarah Schieck Boelke is a University of Minnesota Extension Educator. She can be reached at (320) 2350726 ext. 2004, or via email at schi0466@umn.edu. v
