Prior to the Swine Health Ontario Science & Technology Committee there was the Ontario Swine Health Advisory Board (OSHAB). OSHAB was formed to engage our industry with a focus of swine health. The committee believed (and still does) that broad industry representation and an inclusive focus would result in change, focus and differentiation of the Ontario swine industry with respect to health, which it achieved. Prior to the OSHAB, the swine industry did not have a PRRS PCR test in Ontario, most of our boar studs were positive for PRRS, many genetic suppliers were positive and the concept of ARC&E (now SHARC) did not exist. The platform for an industry disease intervention did not exist and our response to PED would not have happened without the OSHAB. Our model has been presented throughout Canada and the United States and many regions want to emulate it. In 2016 & 2017, the OSHAB worked with OP, OPIC and OMAFRA to form Swine Health Ontario (SHO), the evolution of the OSHAB with dedicated collaboration. The goal was a coordinated provincial swine health focused group that would engage stakeholders and government in sustainable and coordinated swine health initiatives. With rebranding, the OSHAB became the Swine Health Ontario Science and Technology Committee (SHO S&T), with the continued mission to promote and expand the SHARC concept and tools, which work for all disease issues, not just PRRS.

In 2023, the S&T Committee was further refined into the Core Committee, providing oversight and direction to project development and execution, and the Network, providing additional expert resources for project specific work. The Core Committee is comprised of the SHO Leadership Team members and the Core Committee members listed below. The SHO S&T Core Committee and Network continue to improve the Ontario swine industry’s disease containment strategies and develops abilities to prevent epidemics from becoming endemic. Volunteers for the Core Committee and Network are always considered, reach out to info@swinehealthontario.ca if interested in being a part!