Canadian Hog Sector Task Force Receives Stamp of Approval

Canadian Pork Industry Bracing for Squeeze

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The Canadian Pork Council’s request for the creation of a task force has met approval. The Council was pushing for a task force to examine Canada’s swine industry and discuss what measures can be put into place to help pig farmers manage the expected rough period with the potential for major losses.

The Council sent a delegation of representatives to speak to the Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to discuss the make-up of the representation of the task force. The council was pleased with the positive response from the Minister and has requested that the task force include council representatives from the department of agriculture and the Minister’s office. The council also requested that the task group remain small so that the representatives can meet before the end of August.

The goal of the task force is to write a report outlining their key observations and recommendations to the Minister by the end of August 2012. The pork industry is deeply concerned about the forecast for December corn futures noting that they have risen by 50 per cent over the last two months alone, while feeder pigs have droped by 50 per cent – A huge dilemma moving forward.

"Every province is going through significant economic challenge right now in the industry," says Rick Bergmann, Vice-Chair Manitoba Pork Council. ”The bottom line is the feed scarcity, the drought conditions in the Midwest have really put a very negative spin on where we are right now."