On September 6, 2007, sponsored jointly by the China-Canada Small Farmers Adapting to Global Markets (SFAGM) project and Zizhong County Bureau of Animal Husbandry & Food, a training workshop on quality safety of pig farms was held at Longdu Hotel, Zizhong County, Sichuan Province. The main topics of this workshop included: a general survey of the pig-raising industry in Canada, Canada’s experience in quality safety of pig farms, nutrition and management of sows at present, and the outcomes of the SFAGM project in improving pork supply chain and quality safety control of pork in Zizhong. Mr. Harvey Wagner, a Canadian expert of best practice for quality safety of pig farms, and Dr. Wang Fenglaifrom China Agriculture University, each delivered a thematic speech.

Officials, technology extension workers, managers of pig-raising associations, technicians of meat-processing factories and representatives of moderate-sized pig farms from Neijiang City Bureau of Animal Husbandry & Food, Zizhong County, Longchang County, Weiyuan County, as well as Central District and Dongxing District of Neijiang City, totaling 50 persons, participated in the training. On September 7, the participants visited Wenjiang Pig Breeding Base of Sichuan Kang Hong Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Ltd, the pig fosterage model in Ganlu Town, Sankuaishi Pig-raising Co-operative, Sankuaishi Pig-raising Science Park, and the newly built meat-processing factory of Fuyuan Company. This training workshop achieved a good effect. The participants gained a deeper understanding of the standard for quality safety of pig farms, and spoke highly of the work in Zizhong County in many aspects such as insurance for raising pigs, farmers’ field school, reconstruction of pigsties and fosterage of pigs.

Jiang Erbing, Director of Neijiang Bureau of Animal Husbandry & Food, believed that this training workshop was held at a critical moment when the construction of modern animal husbandry was speeding up in Neijiang. This provided a rare learning opportunity for the animal husbandry system in Neijiang, and meanwhile, an opportunity for the counties and prefectures to exchange experience and learn from one another. This training workshop would be of important significance to promoting the standardized production of pigs in Neijiang.