Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Real Welfare program allows vets to upload pig data


    The introduction of the Real Welfare program continues as a web portal that allows vets to submit data from paper forms goes live.
    The information can be uploaded straight into the database, which will provide a picture of the British pig herd.
    The Real Welfare program uses scientific data to boost productivity and animal welfare. The project is funded by British Pig Executives, an organization that represents pig levy payers. The organization is part of England's Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
    Research Projects Manager Katja Stoddart said, "Vets can use paper forms to collect Real Welfare data or they will be able to use an app on a smartphone, though not all vets will want to use that option.
    "The development of the app to allow instant electronic collection and submission of data, along with instant feedback, is now almost complete and this will be rolled out during May.
    "We are prepared for there to be teething problems  there are bound to be with something like this. However, any problems identified will be resolved as rapidly as possible by the British Pig Executives team and the software developer.
    "We have also held a number of webinars specifically for vets to train them on using the web portal and submitting the data. We do plan to hold more over the next couple of months.
    "We are also working on the functionality of the web portal aiming to set it up so producers will be able to log in to the web portal to pre-populate information on the farm layout before the vet's visit. This could ultimately be extended still further to allow producers to have immediate access to their scores."
    Red Tractor Pigs Chairman Mike Sheldon said, "I think it is great that we are now turning Real Welfare from a project into a reality and getting to grips with the detail of making it work as efficiently as possible.
    "I am grateful to all the vets, producers, advisers and staff who are contributing with their questions, solutions and ideas to make everything work smoothly.
    "I have no doubt that we will have some bumps in the road, but I am equally sure we will get there and deliver a feature of pig farm assurance that is highly valued by our customers."

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