US MCOOL Cost Canadian Swine Producers $1.9Billion Dollars...

U.S. M-COOL Cost Canadian Swine Producers 1.9 Billion Dollars and Mounting

Farmscape for January 15, 2013

A livestock economist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development estimates Mandatory U.S. Country of Origin Labelling has already cost the Canadian pork industry in excess of 1.9 billion dollars. In November 2011 the World Trade Organization determined U.S. Mandatory Country of Origin Labelling discriminates against imported livestock and last month the U.S. was given until May 23, 2013 to bring the law into compliance with WTO rules or face the prospects of retaliatory tariffs. A report prepared for the Canadian Pork Council, which estimates the damage caused by M-COOL to Canada's pork industry, was released yesterday. The report's author, Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development livestock economist Ron Gietz, explains losses were assessed by category based on official U.S. Department of Commerce data in U.S. dollars.

Ron Gietz-Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development: Up to and including October, 2012 we found an impact of over 10 million head of slaughter hogs. That had a value of approximately 1.5 billion dollars. We found an impact of 4.3 million isowean or baby feeder pigs. That had an impact of 140 million dollars. Those are smaller animals, therefore a lower value per head and we found an impact on feeder pigs under 50 kilograms, greater than 23 kilograms and that has impacted 5.2 million head of directly lost trade volume since that period at a value of 268 million dollars. Adding those three categories up the total is 19.9 million head and that comes at a value of 1.9 billion.

The report will be forwarded to the federal government for use is setting retaliatory tariffs in the event the United States fails to bring the law into compliance with its international trade obligations by the May 23 deadline.

▶ Reply to This

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Manitoba Planting Advances; Remains Ahead of Average Pace

Manitoba producers made just minor seeding advances this past week, although overall progress remains ahead of last year and the five-year average. The weekly provincial crop report pegged seeding at 8% complete as of Tuesday, up 5 points from a week earlier and ahead of 4% last year and 6% on average. Almost half the spring wheat acres in the Central and Interlake regions have been seeded, the report said, with other regions progressing quickly. Seeding of oats and barley has begun in the Southwest, Central, Eastern, and Interlake regions. Canola planting has started in the Central region. Sunflowers have also started to be seeded in the Central and Interlake regions. Field peas are being seeded in all regions, while soybean crops are being planted in the Central, Eastern, and Interlake regions. Manitoba received variable amounts of precipitation over the past four days, ranging from 0 mm to 12.7 mm with most regions receiving less than 0.5 mm. Southwest: Good weather ov

Canadian Corn Stocks Hit Decade Low, Soybeans Heavier

Canadian corn stocks as of March 31 fell to a decade low, while soybean stockpiles hit the highest in five years. Thursday’s Statistics Canada grain stocks report showed total national corn stocks at 7.197 million tonnes, down 13% from a year earlier and the lowest since March 31, 2015, at 6.289 million. In contrast, March 31 soybean stocks were pegged at 2.393 million tonnes, a year-over-year increase of nearly 11% and the heaviest since March 31, 2020. StatsCan said corn stocks fell amid a more than 50% fall in imports to 1 million tonnes, combined with a doubling in exports to 1.4 million. Soybean stocks were at least partially buoyed by a larger 2024 Canadian crop, up 8.4% on the year to 7.568 million tonnes. National on-farm corn stocks as of March 31 decreased 8.5% compared with the same date in 2024, to 4.9 million tonnes, while commercial stocks fell 20.9% to 2.3 million. On-farm soybean stocks rose 11.1% to 1.4 million tonnes, with commercial stocks up 10.6% to 988

Early Saskatchewan Planting Ahead of 5-, 10-Year Averages

Spring planting is off to quick start in Saskatchewan, with almost 20% of the 2025 crop in the ground already. The first weekly crop report of the season on Thursday pegged provincewide planting at 18% complete as of Monday. That’s 8 points ahead of the five-year average and 6 points better than the 10-year average. Last year, planting was 12% done at this time. “Despite multiple storms throughout the province in April, producers were able to get into their fields and make rapid progress over the last couple of weeks,” the report said. Limited moisture fell throughout much of the province over the last week. The highest reported rainfall was in the Alida area at 16 millimetres (mm) followed by the Lafleche area at 12 mm. Planting progress is the most advanced in the southwest region, where 43% of the crop was in as of Monday and the first seeded crops starting to emerge. The northwest and southeast regions are also making good progress, at 15% and 14% done, respectively. The we

Understanding Yardage Costs in Cow-Calf Operations

Have you ever wondered where your money goes during the winter-feeding period? Feed costs are easy to spot in a beef cattle operation, but what about the other expenses quietly chipping away at your bottom line? This is where yardage comes in—it is a crucial part of managing winter feeding costs in cow-calf operations. What is Yardage? Yardage refers to the overhead and non-feed costs incurred while maintaining cattle during the winter-feeding period. These costs include day-to-day expenses such as labor, equipment and building maintenance, fuel, utilities, manure handling and other general expenses like farm taxes and accounting fees. They also include non-cash costs such as machinery and facility depreciation, which represent the graduate loss of value in assets over time. Why Does Yardage Matter to a Beef Producer? Yardage may not grab attention like feed costs, but it significantly impacts profitability. These costs, especially non-cash costs like depreciation, often remain unno

Mother’s Day Q&A with Anna McCutcheon

The hardest part about motherhood is balancing everything, Anna McCutcheon says

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service