Canada’s pork industry has a new organization.
This morning, federal ag minister Marie Claude Bibeau unveiled the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency.
Hog producers already pay for promotion and other services through their provincial organizations. Producers will help fund this new, national agency, but a levy on imports of pork and live pigs will also be a source of revenue for the PRA.
“In the long run, it will result in improving the long-term growth and competitiveness of the sector,” said Rick Bergmann, Canadian Pork Council chair.
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“I would like to thank Minister Bibeau for championing this initiative and moving forward with the establishment of the agency.”
Bibeau made the announcement at the annual general meeting of Les Levers de porcs du Québec.
The PRA will build awareness of Canadian pork, domestically and around the world, Agriculture Canada said in a statement.
“As a result of recent trade deals, producers have preferential access to two-thirds of the world market. The agency will also help mitigate and manage the potential risks of African swine fever by investing in research activities that could boost on-farm biosecurity and surveillance.”
The beef sector has a similar organization, the Canadian Beef Check-Off, with a mandate of expanding markets and beef sales.
Pork exporters are having a good year in 2020. Canadian exports to the end of August were $3.3 billion, up 17 percent from 2019.
The bulk of the sales were to Japan, China and the United States.
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
