Canadian Pork Council elects new chair

Jan 12, 2023

René Roy takes over for Rick Bergmann

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A new year means a new board chair for the Canadian Pork Council (CPC).

On Jan. 11 at the Banff Pork Expo, the Canadian Pork Council chose René Roy, a producer from Chaudière-Appalaches in Quebec as the new chairman of the board of directors.

He takes over for Rick Bergmann, a producer from Steinbach, Man. Bergmann served on the CPC board since 2004 and as chair of the board since 2015.

Roy thanked Bergmann for his contributions to the CPC and representing the 7,000 farmers in Canada’s pork sector.

“By all measures, Rick has navigated our industry through several challenging issues since joining the board in 2008, such as the global pandemic, WTO challenges, CPTPP and NAFTA trade negotiations, so many other issues. He should be congratulated for his successes,” Roy said in a statement.

Roy is the third farmer from Quebec to lead the board.

Edouard Asnong served as chair from 1997 to 2004. And Jean-Guy Vincent held the position from 2012 to 2015.

Federal minister of agriculture, Marie-Claude Bibeau, congratulated Roy on his election.

I also congratulate René Roy, who is taking over as Chair of @cdnpork! Together, we will continue to work to ensure the sustainability and growth of the??industry in ????, most notably by protecting it from #ASF ! pic.twitter.com/vTB4l52d7h
— Marie-Claude Bibeau (@mclaudebibeau) January 12, 2023

“Together, we will continue to work to ensure the sustainability and growth of the (pork) industry in (Canada), most notable protecting it from #ASF!” she said on Twitter on Jan. 12.

Prior to his promotion to chair of the board, Roy served as first vice-chair of the CPC board.

Scott Peters, a producer from Randolph, Man., will step into that position.

Alberta’s Jack Moen and B.C.’s Jack Dewitt will continue in their roles as second vice-chair and treasurer, respectively.

The CPC’s new board is already working for the pork industry.

They’re engaged in “ongoing work on the plans related to the potential response and recovery plan for an ASF disaster in Canada, as well as the CPC’s effort to draft and implement a new strategic plan in 2023,” CPC’s statement says.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

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Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.