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Canada and Mexico Spared, but U.S. Tariffs Still Pose Risk to Global Stability

Florian Possberg, partner with Polar Pork Farms, is raising concern over the potential ripple effects of the U.S. decision to impose reciprocal tariffs on 75 of its trading partners. While Canada and Mexico were notably excluded from the April 2nd announcement, the uncertainty surrounding further action is creating unease throughout the pork industry—and beyond.

“We’ve been spared,” Possberg said. “There’s no 25 percent tariff or any tariff on our live hogs that we send to the U.S., nor is there a tariff on the pork that trades back and forth between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.”

According to Possberg, strong cross-border advocacy has played a key role in keeping tariffs at bay for now. U.S. customers have been vocal in opposing any disruption to the reliable Canadian supply of live hogs, and stakeholders across Canada have stepped up to make the case for continued free trade.

“Sask Pork sent a contingent down to the Midwest to lobby on behalf of our industry, alongside Canada Pork and producers from across the country,” he explained. “In general, the agriculture community in the U.S. shares our perspective—free trade is critical.”

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Four Star Pork Industry Conf - Back to Basics: Fundamentals drive vaccine performance

Video: Four Star Pork Industry Conf - Back to Basics: Fundamentals drive vaccine performance

At a time when disease pressure continues to challenge pork production systems across the United States, vaccination remains one of the most valuable and heavily debated tools available to veterinarians and producers.

Speaking at the 2025 Four Star Pork Industry Conference in Muncie, Indiana, Dr. Daniel Gascho, veterinarian at Four Star Veterinary Service, encouraged the industry to return to fundamentals in how vaccines are selected, handled and administered across sow farms, gilt development units and grow-finish operations.

Gascho acknowledged at the outset that vaccination can quickly become a technical and sometimes tedious topic. But he said that real-world execution, not complex immunology, is where most vaccine failures occur.