WINNIPEG – Manitoba Pork’s last annual meeting as a monopoly marketing agency was more realistic than nostalgic.
After a year marked by controversy, complaints and ultimately change farmer delegates on the marketing agency concentrated on looking forward to July 1 and beyond, when it will face competition from other sellers.
In a closed-door session and casually in hallways and hotel rooms, producers talked mostly about how Manitoba Pork should work in the new system.
“We’re going into new, uncharted waters and we don’t really know what’s to come,” said farmer Stan Yaskiw. “The resentment is still there, for sure … but they have resigned themselves to the fact that this is the environment we’re going to be working with.”
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Expected more emotion
Ken Foster said he expected a little more emotion, but he thinks farmers are tired of fighting and have resigned themselves to working under new competitive rules imposed by the provincial government.
“Every effort was made to make the government change their mind, and still to this day I guess we lack in answers as to why it needed to happen,” said Foster, who farms near Arborg, Man.
Foster stepped down as chair of the group, a position he has held for the past four years. He will stay on the board of directors, but said he wants to spend more time on his farm.
There are other reasons for his resignation as well.
“There has been a bit of tension between our board and the government this last while and maybe it’s not such a bad idea to start with a clean page,” he said.
Gerry Friesen of Wawanesa has taken his place. Friesen said he heard a lot of ideas and suggestions from delegates at the meeting and now it’s up to the board of directors to get things going.
“We’ve got to look at getting our marketing plan in order and forget the fighting part,” Friesen said. “I’m not admitting defeat, but at this point, we have to get a marketing plan in order.”
Before the rules come into force July 1, the agency must iron out how much hog farmers will pay for general services like advertising, quality assurance, market development and research.
It is also trying to determine how much its optional marketing services will cost, and how to manage them separately from general services.
In the future, the agency will be hold its cards closer to its chest. “It’s a different world,” said Friesen.
“We’re not going to allow producers who market privately or with some other firms to influence decision-making or even get some insight and information about our marketing programs, because obviously it could be passed on to competitors,” added Foster.
Despite the many unknowns, Foster said he knows one thing for sure.
The annual gathering was the last of its kind, and next year’s will be very different
