Definition of Requirement:
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has a requirement to maintain and sustain a national farm
antimicrobial drug use and resistance surveillance program across the five major pork producing provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) under the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) and a sentinel-site based farm food and water-borne pathogen surveillance program under FoodNet Canada. This project will provide data on antimicrobial use and the occurrence of and antimicrobial resistance in microbes of grower-finisher swine. The results of the analyses will provide information on the epidemiology of food and water-borne disease, antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in swine production. This work is one component of an effort to develop a national strategy for antimicrobial resistance and use in
Canadian agriculture, a strategy which includes surveillance, research, risk assessment and the development and promotion of antimicrobial prudent use guidelines.
The work will involve the following:
In consultation with representatives of the Laboratory for Foodborne Zoonoses and other project
collaborators, the Contractor shall:
a) Enroll or confirm the on-going participation of Sentinel Sites in the farm antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance program that meet the following criteria.
Include herds that:
- reside within the 5 major pork producing provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec);
- are Canadian Quality Assurance validated; and
- produce more than 2000 Close-to-Market hogs per year and are representative of the demographic (e.g. corporate, independent, co-operative/loops, production volume) and geographic distribution of herds in the contractor’s swine practice.
Exclude herds that:
- are regarded to be organic pertaining to animal husbandry;
- that feed Edible Residual Materials (ERM); or
- are pasture-raised.
b) The Contractor shall schedule close-to-market sampling and/or questionnaire completion dates at each site as designated in the yearly Farm Swine Surveillance Program description.
c) Review the Informed Consent Form, provided in the Producer’s Program Binder, with the producer when enrolling a new sentinel grower/finisher swine herd. The last page of the consent form should be completed, signed and dated by the producer and the contractor. Signed copies of this document are to be retained by the producer and contractor. Signed copies of this document should NOT be sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada to protect the identity, privacy and confidentiality of participating producers.
d) Conduct each sampling and/or questionnaire visit scheduled in No 2. and submit the associated samples and/or questionnaire, as outlined in the specific Herd Sampling Visit Checklists.
e) Disburse funds, or the equivalent in professional services, to participating producers as outlined in the Farm Swine Surveillance Program description. These funds are included in the total amount paid to the Contractor.
f) The Contractor shall submit a report with a schedule for herd sampling day visits that identifies each herd by their Herd ID Codes only (Herd ID Codes are pre-assigned by the administrative staff at PHAC-LFZ), which includes the estimated sampling and/or questionnaire completion dates for each sampling period.
Minimum Requirements
Any interested supplier must demonstrate by way of a Statement of Capabilities that it meets the following minimum requirements:
- Must be a veterinarian licensed to practice in the Province(s) where sentinel herds are located.
- Must be familiar with the CQA® program.
- Must be able to provide their own transportation to the sentinel sites.
- Must provide personnel for the collection and shipping of faecal samples and questionnaire data according to CIPARS Farm Swine Surveillance protocols.
- Must have client swine herds eligible for participation in the program. Enroll or confirm the on-going participation of client Sentinel Sites in the CIPARS farm antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance program that meet the following criteria. These herds must not already be enrolled in the program.
Include herds that:
- are CQA® validated, and
- produce more than 2000 Close-to-Market hogs per year and are representative of the demographic (e.g. corporate, independent, co-operative/loops, production volume) and geographic distribution of herds in the Contractor’s swine practice.
Exclude herds that:
- are regarded to be organic pertaining to animal husbandry, or
- that feed Edible Residual Materials (ERM), or
- are pasture-raised.
