The General Manager of Manitoba pork is calling on governments to make the agriculture sector and the economic activity generated by agriculture a higher priority.
As part of an article being circulated through Manitoba community newspapers and posted to the Manitoba Pork web site, the province's pork sector is calling on governments to recognise the economic contributions of pork production.Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork suggests rather than being a problem to be dealt with, agriculture is a key economic driver.
Quote-Cam Dahl-Manitoba Pork:
Manitoba Pork actually hired an outside independent economic firm to look at the economic impacts and they are significant.By far the largest value-added sector in agriculture is pork.
There are 22 thousand full time jobs in Manitoba that are tied to the hog industry.The sector contributes 2.3 billion dollars a year to the economy.137 or 139 million dollars in taxes are paid by the industry to the provincial government every year and about another 87 million are paid to municipalities so it is a real critical part of Manitoba's economy.
About 3.5 percent of Manitoba's GDP is tied to the pork sector so it's not a minor player.I think a really critical important point to really hammer home in this message about the story of agriculture and the story of pork is that it's not just a rural discussion.
The jobs and the contribution to the economy and to community really do impact all parts of the province whether you're in Neepawa or Brandon or in downtown Winnipeg.
Dahl notes 90 percent of the eight million pigs produced in Manitoba are exported either as pork or as live animals so it's important for governments to avoid protectionism and stand up for open borders, to ensure our regulations remain science based and to look at collaborating with agriculture when it comes to achieving society's sustainability goals rather than relying on the regulatory stick.
Source : Farmscape.ca