HyLife praised for in-house innovation

Renowned animal behaviouralist commends new ramp design

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A new and improved version of a piglet weaning ramp at HyLife’s pork processing plant in Neepawa is receiving high praise on a global scale. The ramp was developed by HyLife’s inhouse team of engineers to make transporting piglets easier on both the animals and the employees.

In a media release discussing the innovation, the company stated that it designed the ramp in response to employee feedback. The workers expressed that picking up the piglets and bringing them to another employee performing vaccination placed a strain on both them and the animals.

The weaning ramp eliminates that stress by:

• Having the piglets enter the alleyway and move up the ramp in groups;

• Once up the ramp, a gate using a pulley system is lowered. Employees can easily begin picking the piglets from waist height to be vaccinated. The animals are then gently placed on a slide, depending on their sex.

• Gradual sloping slides, off each side of the station, bring the piglet back down slowly and safely to ground level.

“We knew there was a better way. We prioritize animal care and lean on our in-house experts and (Continuous Improvement) team to develop a creative solution. The result is a ramp that eliminates the need to pick up piglets. This means less stress and more safety for both our animals and employees,” said Lyle Loewen, senior vice president of farms division at HyLife.

This innovation has received notice across the industry, as the weaning ramp recently won The Dr. F.X Ahern Prize for Innovative Pork Production at the 2023 Banff Pork Seminar. This award is given to those who create original solutions to pork production challenges in North America.

As well, the invention has been praised by a well regarded animal scientist.

Temple Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, toured the Neepawa site during a recent visit to Canada. She said she was im- pressed by the company’s animal handling practices and the new ramp.

“It gets rid of the backbreaking work. It’s also going to improve good treatment of the pigs as the job is so much easier. And you make a job easier, and people are going to like it a whole lot better. That is something the whole industry should have,” said Grandin, via press release.

HyLife is now investing into the installation of the ramps across all sow barns.