Canadian Pork Council Says Funding Announcement Leaves Producers At Risk

May 06, 2020

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) says producers and their families remain at risk given the very limited support outlined in Tuesday's announcement. The organization says the funds promised by the Government of Canada do not address the problems producers are facing.

Industry experts have estimated that pork producers will lose $675 million in 2020. CPC had asked for $20 per hog to cover expenses.

“For the past 5 years we have heard from our government that they want to help us to grow our sector, yet when our house is burning, they are offering us a glass of water to save it," said CPC Chair Rick Bergmann.

CPC says the sector is critical to Canada’s food security, an important employer and a significant industry that will be instrumental to restarting the economy.

“We are thankful for the Minister’s continued advocacy for our sector, but Canadian pork farm families are in danger. Should they fail, food insecurity will increase as supplies tighten and food gets more expensive,” added Bergmann.

Tuesday's announcement included $125 for an AgriRecovery program, with up to $50 million for a set-aside program for the cattle sector and up to $50 million for the pork sector.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

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.