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Pork Producers and Industry

A chance to share information and discuss ideas on how to make the Ontario pork industry sustainable. ***Opinions expressed in this forum are those of the participants and do not necessarily reflect those of the OPIC Board of Directors and Staff.

Members: 22
Latest Activity: Jun 30, 2015

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Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition -Call to Action 5 Replies

Below is a bulletin outlining the status of the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition and actions needed to advance this initiative. This bulletin was provided to OPIC by Ontario Pork and is…Continue

Started by Ontario Pork Industry Council. Last reply by kevin g kimball May 2, 2010.

Ken Ovington Appointed as Ontario Pork General Manager

Good luck Ken,JoeOntario Pork Board Appoints Ovington as General ManagerGuelph, November 4, 2009 – The Ontario Pork Board of Directors are pleased to announce the appointment of Ken Ovington as the…Continue

Started by Joe Dales Nov 5, 2009.

Pig Industry Recovery Plan -Letter from John Bowman

** This letter has been posted on behalf of John Bowman; Daco Animal Nutrition**Click on the attachment below to read John's letter.If you wish to contact John directly, his e-mail address is…Continue

Started by Ontario Pork Industry Council Oct 9, 2009.

Pig Industry Recovery Plan from Pork Grassroots Committee

** This has been posted on behalf of the Pork Grassroots Committee **Click the attachment below to see the Pork Grassroots Committee Letter to All Pork Producers, Restructuring Plan to Move the…Continue

Started by Ontario Pork Industry Council Oct 9, 2009.

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Comment by OntAG Admin on February 24, 2011 at 10:27am

Ontario Pork Presentation to Finance & Economic Affairs

Comment by AgOntario on June 24, 2010 at 7:39am
News Article in the Beacon Herald

Caution clouds pork's rebound
Posted By MIKE BEITZ , STAFF REPORTER
June 23, 2010

Shown at a ceremonial sausage-cutting to open the 37th annual Ontario Pork Congress are, from left, president Ray Black, Perth County warden Julie Behrns, Cathy Winhold, who is special assistant to Perth-Wellington MPP John Wilkinson, Stratford city councillor Paul Nickel, Perth-Wellington MP Gary Schellenberger and Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb. SCOTT WISHART The Beacon Herald



There may be a light at the end of the tunnel for Ontario pork producers still reeling from several years of low prices, higher costs and the fallout from last summer's H1N1 outbreak.

Then again, it could be an approaching train.

"Cautious optimism is how I'd describe it," Ontario Pork vice-chair Mary-Ann Hendrikx said Tuesday as the Ontario Pork Congress kicked off at the Rotary Complex in Stratford.


The 37th annual trade show comes at a time when pork prices are on a bit of an upswing, but that should not necessarily be taken as a sign that the industry has turned a corner, she said.

"A few weeks of good prices doesn't make up for four of five years of bad," said Hendrikx, noting that there's no guarantee that prices will remain where they are for the long term. "Everybody's still being fairly cautious."

And many producers are simply "numb" from the battering they've taken in recent years, she said, and especially after the H1N1 outbreak that many -- to the dismay of pork producers -- dubbed the swine flu.

"Last year was devastating," agreed Ontario Pork board director Teresa Van Raay. "And I think the mood now is definitely enhanced."

She, too, described that mood as one of "reserved hopefulness."

Still, the industry has had its casualties, she said, as many producers simply couldn't afford to continue losing money and left the business entirely.

"The ones that have left are not here," she said, gesturing to the trade show floor. "And the ones that are here are here to stay."

Paul Bootsma is one of those producers who made the tough decision to transition out of the industry, giving up his 222-sow farrow-to-finish operation near Brantford.

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"We questioned the future of the industry," said Bootsma, who took a cheque from the federal government's hog farm transition program to help him ease out of the business. "There's a lot of uncertainty out there."

But Bootsma hasn't exactly turned his back on his fellow farmers. He now works as a district and membership representative for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario, which he called a "good fit" for someone with his farming background and experience.

He said it's too early to tell if the decision to quit the hog industry was the right one, but he said he had "no regrets" about making it, especially since it gave him the opportunity to get out relatively debt-free.

Perth-Wellington MP Gary Schellenberger said he sympathized with those producers caught in "trying times" for the pork industry and suggested Ottawa is doing what it can to help by working to expand foreign markets for Canadian products.

And in an ideal world, federal support initiatives would not be needed to help struggling producers, but they are working for many, he said.

"I know that most farmers would like to realize their profits from the sale of their product and not from government," he said. "But I think some of the government programs have probably helped."

Ontario Pork Congress president Ray Black said the turnout at the event, from exhibitors and attendees, is an indication of the strength of the sector.

"People here are in it for the love of the industry," he said. "It's a way of life for them."

But taking more control of that industry and the market prices for pork is key to the ongoing survival of that way of life, said Black.

"It's not good enough just to make a living," he said. "You have to make a life."

The Pork Congress wraps up at the Rotary Complex today.
Comment by Tom Murray on October 9, 2009 at 6:36am
This is more of a question of managing supply versus supply management. If we where to go the supply managed route not only would we lose a lot of farmers but all the industry that goes with it. By controlling the supply and recapturing our own market we can have the best of both worlds
 

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

FDA approves gene-edited pigs resistant to costly swine disease

British animal genetics company Genus on Wednesday said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its PRP gene edit under its PRRS Resistant Pig ("PRP") programme for use in the US food supply chain, reported Reuters. The gene edit is designed to provide pigs resistance to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease affecting swine globally, whose symptoms include fever, respiratory distress, premature births. PRRS caused an estimated $1.2 billion per year in lost production in the US pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80% increase from a decade earlier, according to an analysis published in 2024 by an Iowa State University expert. In its capital market update in November 2023, Genus had said that its PRP is resistant to prevalent PRRS strains. Genus' shares rose as much as 30% to a near six-month high, and were on track for their biggest one-day gain since December 2008. PRP won't really start affecting Genus' income statement until fiscal year 2027

US pork gains ground in New Zealand despite softening demand in Oceania

US pork exports to New Zealand reached 864 metric tonnes (mt) in February, a 19% increase from the previous year, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the US Meat Export Federation (USMEF). Export value surged 54% to $3.7 million. Cumulative January–February shipments climbed 43% to 1,927 mt, with export value up 59% to $7.6 million. In contrast, overall pork exports to Oceania dipped slightly. Total volume for the region edged down 1% to 18,634 mt, while export value fell 2% year-over-year to $66.4 million, as Australian demand softened compared to last year’s elevated levels.

FDA approval for technology to breed PRRS-resistant pigs

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted approval to swine genetics company PIC for the gene edit used in its pig resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). The FDA determined that the technology is safe and effective. The gene edit will be used to breed the company’s PRRS-resistant pigs, but the company adds that the approval does not automatically trigger commercialisation in the US. In a press release, the company said that it “becomes among the first companies to gain approval for gene editing in commercial livestock in the US.” “Milestone for the entire pork industry” PIC’s COO Matt Culbertson was quoted, saying it was a “major milestone for consumers, farmers and the entire pork industry.” He said, “We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the FDA to gain approval.” Also quoted was Banks Baker, the company’s global director of product sustainability. He said, “Addressing PRRS c

Former federal ag minister Charlie Mayer passes away

Charlie Mayer served as minister of agriculture for nearly all of 1993

Maple Leaf Foods Advances Spin-Off of Pork Division into Canada Packers Inc.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI) has announced a major step forward in its previously disclosed plan to spin off its pork operations into a separate entity, Canada Packers Inc. The company has secured an interim court order allowing it to proceed with a special shareholder meeting scheduled for June 11, 2025, to vote on the transaction.

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