On Thursday, the federal government announced the development of a risk management strategy being undertaken by the Manitoba Pork Council for pork producers to recover from the devastation caused by potential outbreaks of diseases, such as porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED).
“Producers need to know that they have the tools and supports available to them if the worst happens," said Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. "I’m excited by the potential of this project, not just for Manitoba, but for the pork sector across Canada. Our Government is working closely with the sector on many measures that deal with disease outbreaks before, during and after they occur.”
The Manitoba Pork Council will receive an investment of $482,158 towards a 2-year project that aims to create an effective, affordable, and self-sustainable risk management program, that responds to periods of financial instability in the Manitoba hog industry. This could also include measures to assist producers with costs associated with cleaning and disinfection.
The government says the program follows on the success of provincial poultry sectors in Canada that have established a reciprocal insurance system to guard against the impacts of Avian Influenza and other diseases.
“Manitoba Pork thanks the federal government for their support of this project, so that we can develop some private sector solutions to mitigate the economic impact of diseases and market fluctuations," said George Matheson, Chair of the Manitoba Pork Council. "We will ensure that the project results will have application to all pork producers in Canada. The poultry sector has lead the way in developing risk management tools for specific diseases that affect their sector. We hope to build upon those initiatives to create insurance products for the pork sector.”
If successful, the risk management strategy could expand to incorporate pork sectors in other provinces.
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