Alberta Livestock Expo Cancelled
Unfortunately due to the current government restrictions and the strain on the alberta health care system the 2021 Alberta Livestock Expo has been cancelled. We hope to see you back in 2022. Dates to be confirmed.
For details more information on exhibition and sponsor fees refunds please contact Kaite at 431.337.8726 or
E: katie@albertalivestockexpo.com or
W: albertalivestockexpo.com •
Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop Virtual
Due to the current COVID restrictions the Red Deer Swine Technology committee made the decision to go to a virtual platform, as a Zoom Webinar
The 22nd annual Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop, will be held on two consecutive afternoons Wednesday October 20th and Thursday October 21st. Both days running from noon till 3:30pm.
All the latest details and how to register for the zoom Webinar will be under swine tech tab on the albertapork.com website.
For more information contact Charlotte Shipp at Alberta Pork 780.491.3528 or email charlotte.shipp@albertapork.com •
Aherne Awards Deadline Oct 31
Do you know of an innovator who should be recognized? Someone who has developed an original solution to answer a pork production challenge? Or found a creative use of a known technology?
The Banff Pork Seminar is proud to offer a chance for you to “strut your stuff” as a technology innovator and show the rest of us how to put it into practice!
The Dr. FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production recognizes innovators involved in the pork industry who are making a difference by applying new technologies or management techniques.
Innovators can win valuable prizes and will be recognized by their peers and the pork industry and have a chance to present your solution at the 2022 Banff Pork Seminar.
Please nominate yourself, or apply on behalf of an innovator that deserves to be recognized. Help us to find these innovators and encourage them to apply for the Dr. FX Aherne Prize for Innovative Pork Production.
Specifically, we are looking for innovators who are capable of taking a new research concept, a technology, or even a management concept and apply it successfully in the production of pork. Innovations may be related to, but are not limited to, one of the following areas: Production, Transportation, Animal Well Being, Reduced Environmental Impact, Pork Quality and Safety.
Anyone who has developed a solution to a pork production challenge may enter. Innovations must be relevant to North American pork production but do not necessarily have to be currently in use in Canada at the time of application.
Application and more information will be available online at www.banffpork.ca. Applications must be received by October 31, 2021. Apply today! Please contact Conference Coordinator Ashely Steeple at pork@ualberta.ca with any questions. •
Saskatchewan Pork Symposium
The dates have been selected for Saskatchewan Industry Pork Symposium at the Saskatoon Inn November 16 & 17, 2021. They are planning for a in person event, subject to provincial health guidelines at that time. Proof of vaccination will be required to attend. See ad on page 36 for complete list of speakers and sessions.
Check out our website for latest updates saskpork.com
For additional information on Symposium contact the Symposium Co ordinator at 306.244.7752 or email info@saskpork.com. Full program registration ad sponsorship will be available on line in mid August at www.saskpork.com •
Alberta Pork AGM
Alberta Pork has scheduled their annual general meeting Thursday November 25th. As of press time it had not yet been decided if will be in person or virtual. •
Brandon Hog &
Livestock Expo Cancelled
The Brandon Hog & Livestock Expo committee have made the decision to cancel the 2021 show.
Due to the uncertainty of what provincial restrictions will be in the months to come, including mass gatherings.
For any companies that had already pre registrer or bought sponsorship all monies will be returned.
Contact Rhonda Coupland tradeshow Coordinator for further details. 204.534.0722 or email
info@hogdaysbrandon.com •
Banff Pork Seminar
Plans are proceeding to have a hybird event at the Castle in the Rockies for the next Banff Pork Seminar, scheduled for January 11 – 13, 2022.
Some of the keynote topics and speakers include; Markets & Trade, by Brett Stuart; Positioning Canadian Pork in Post Covid Enviroment, by Trevor Sears; Agriculture & the Environment, by Patrick Moore and Successful Strategies Used to Prepare for ASF in Canada by Christa Arsenault.
With breakout sessions on Water Quality, Feeding, Human Resources, Management & Production, Sow Productivity, Welfare and Health.
Online registration is now open, early registration deadline is November 15th.
A block of rooms are now available at the Banff Springs Hotel for BPS 2022 starting at $159/night plus taxes and fees for single occupancy. Space is limited so book early. Must book by December 1, 2021 to receive the special conference rates (while space is available). Reservations can be made through the Banff Pork Seminar website.
Latest updates are found on the website, banffpork.ca
For more information contact Ashley Steeple, Conference Coordinator, PH: 780.492.3651 or Email: pork@ualberta.ca •
Manitoba Swine Seminar
As of press time the organizers of Manitoba Swine Seminar had not yet confirmed if their event will take place in February of 2022. •
Saskatchewan Livestock Expo
Formally known as Cramer Livestock Expo, the rebranded trade show will take place in Swift Current on February 17, 2022
The one day show will be held at Kinetic Exhibition Park in Swift Current, SK.
Registration now open. Earlybird rates for booth registration is by November 1st. Check the website for downloadable form at www.cramereventmanagement.com
For details or information contact expo manger Lisa Doyle of Vibrant Even Management at 403.305.1563 or
E: lisa@vibranteventmanagement.ca
A block of guest rooms will be held at the Days Inn (formally BW) 105 George St W, Swift Current, SK until Feb 1st, so reserve early, call 306.773.4660. Please inform front desk that you are attending Saskatchewan Livestock Expo.
Should the show not be allowed to take place due to health restrictions, refunds for booths and sponsorships will be given. •
Meat Council Wants More Foreign Workers
The Canadian Meat Council is complaining about a limit on the number of temporary foreign workers (TFW) meat packers can employ.
“Our meat processors are having a hard time finding Canadians who are interested in these jobs,” said Marie-France Mackinnon, vice-president of public affairs and communications with the Canadian Meat Council.
Even students who take training to become meat cutters and butchers at Olds College in Alberta don’t want to work at meat processing plants.
“After their certificate (they) don’t choose to work for any of our members,” Mackinnon said. “They want to… go to Co-Op or Safeway, or open their own butcher shop.”
The limit on the number of TFW is forcing meat companies to make difficult choices. Some are shutting down production lines and others are shipping cuts of meat to other plants, perhaps in the United States for further processing.
The cap on TFW is detrimental to Canada’s meat industry and the country’s economy, the meat council said in a document outlining its priorities for the federal election.
“The cap restricts growth for abattoirs by limiting expansion plans, restricting immigration growth for rural Canada, and not allowing the industry to increase its export capacity.”
The meat council wants the next federal government to adjust the 10-20 percent cap on TFW so it’s fair for all meat packers and allows the industry to succeed, the council said.
“It’s really a cap on processing capacity and our sector’s growth potential,” Mackinnon said. “It isn’t a partisan issue. It’s an economic issue for Canada.”
The caps were introduced in 2014 by the former Conservative government headed by Stephen Harper. •
— By Jim Romahn
CPC Shared Election Priorities
Back on August 23rd Canadian Pork Council held a zoom press conference to discuss election priorities.
“Canadian pork producers work hard every day to provide high quality, nutritious, affordable and sustainable protein to families in Canada and around the world,” said Rick Bergman, CPC Chair. “They need parties to partner with them to deliver economic growth and prosperity for all Canadians.”
Canadian pork is increasingly in demand around the world and the value chain has significant growth potential. That is why Canadian pork producers are calling on candidates to support policies that partner with producers, protect the herd and promote the environment.
Parties are needed to partner with producers to maximize the potential of the sector by committing to:
•Fix Business Risk Management programs so they work for producers in need
•Facilitate access to skilled workers
•Defend, improve and expand market access
•Resolve trade barriers in China, the world’s largest pork importer
The health of Canadian pigs is one of the value chain’s greatest assets but it is at risk. Parties should commit to protect the herd by:
•Committing $50 million to implement the Pan-Canadian African Swine Fever action plan
•Establishing a Canadian Foot-and-Mouth disease vaccine bank
Canadian pork producers already have one of the lowest environmental footprints in the world and producers are taking the extra steps to make it more sustainable. Canadian Pork Council is asking parties to work with producers to promote the environment by:
•Making concrete emissions reductions by partnering with producers to further improve the environmental sustainability of Canadian pork
•Exempting farm fuels such as propane and natural gas from the carbon pricing system, which impacts competitiveness without reducing emissions.
— Pork Chops continued on page 44
— Pork Chops continued from page 43
“Pork producers are calling on candidates to commit to polices so producers can employ more Canadians, increase the value of exports and build better, more resilient communities from coast to coast,” added René Roy, CPC Vice-Chair.
Canada’s pork producers are the starting point for:
• $23.8 billion to Canada’s GDP
• 100,00+ jobs from farm to fork
• 10,000+ processing jobs in suburban and urban communities
• More than $5 billion in exports to 90+ countries •
China Sets Pork Production Goal
China aims to maintain its breeding sow herd at about 43 million head during the period to 2025, the government said in early August.
Last month the government said its hog population was 439 million, higher than about 420 million before African Swine Fever wiped out about half of the country’s hogs. It said there were 45.64 million sows.
The efforts aim to “enhance achievement of pig herd recovery, prevent major volatility of production capacity and promote healthy and sustainable development of the live hog industry,” the government said of its 40-million sows goal.
China will advise pig farmers to restock sows or get rid of less productive ones when the monthly sow herd changes more than five per cent from the previous year, the government said. •
— By Jim Romahn
Alberta Food Label Introduced
Made in Alberta by Albertans. So say the food labels the province unveiled in early August.
It was developed after consulting with farmers, processors and consumers this summer before finalizing the rules for its use on different types of products, the government said in a news release.
The initiative by the provincial government will help shoppers at farmers’ markets and grocery stores identify where the food comes from.
“Alberta is known as a place that produces safe, high-quality food. These days, people want to know where their food comes from, and this will make it a lot easier for them to choose food from Alberta,” said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s minister of agriculture and Forestry. •
— By Jim Romahn
Genus Continues PRRS Collaborative Research
Genus is continuing its collaboration with the Roslin Institute of the United Kingdom to produce pigs that are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS)..
Researchers and the company hope the licensing agreement will lead the way to gene-edited, disease-resistant pigs being available to global pork-producing markets.
With the signing of the agreement, facilitated by Edinburgh Innovations, the University’s commercialization service, Genus will continue planned work for testing multiple generations of pigs and conducting studies required for approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
Vaccines have mostly failed to stop the spread of the virus that causes PRRS, which is in the hog populations of most pig-producing countries worldwide.
The Roslin Institute has produced pigs that can resist the disease by editing their genetic code. The research received funding from Genus and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Project leaders say that by partnering with Genus, the Roslin Institute will benefit from its existing relationship with the FDA, insights into the pork sector, its established supply chain, and its distribution channels in the world’s biggest pig markets, including China, Europe and the U.S •
— By Jim Romahn
Dominican ASF Widespread
African Swine Fever is now widespread in the Dominican Republic, as of end of August in all corners of the peninsula. Resulting and prompting culling of tens of thousands of pigs to contain the deadly disease.
Mexico and the United States have implemented new measures to prevent the spread of the disease, including a ban on pork from the Dominican Republic and Haiti and increased inspection of travellers’ luggage.
The Canadian Pork Council’s chairman Rick Bergmann said he is pleased that the Canada Border Services Agency promptly added the Dominican Republic to the list of countries that border officers are screening for ASF risks.
This change builds on measures taken in 2019 to increase the number of detector dog teams, enhance public communications about the risks associated with illegal meat imports and control imports of unprocessed grain and oilseeds from ASF infected countries.
Bergmann also mentioned that federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said following the meeting of federal, provincial and territorial ministers recently that ASF preparedness and response remain a major priority.
He said “while much progress has been made, there remain opportunities to eradicate wild pigs, enhance biosecurity and develop the response policies and programs that will be needed should there ever be a Canadian outbreak.” •
— By Jim Romahn
Olymel Expands
Construction has been completed and Olymel is adding a second shift at its hog-slaughtering plant at Ange-Gardien, Montérégie, southeast of Montreal.
The $3 million investment will boost slaughter capacity from 25,000 to 35,000 hogs per week and the extra shift of 150 workers will help to clear the backlog that developed while union members at the Olymel plant at Vallée-Jonction were on strike.•
Japanese Develop Plant-based Pork Meal
Next Meats Co. of Tokyo is adding a pork offering to its list of animal-alternative products.
Ryo Shirai, co-founder of Next Meats Co. and chief executive officer of Next Meats Holdings said they have received many requests for pork and fish they believe the release of Next Pork and Next Tuna is an important step towards a more sustainable future.
Next Pork will be available as a ready-to-eat meal, with the pork sliced and sauteed in a slightly sweet but savory sauce consisting of soy sauce and ginger—just like “Shoga-yaki”, a popular dish in Japan.
Next Pork is scheduled to launch first in Japan around October through Next Meats’ online shop. •
— By Jim Romahn
Bring Back Government Research Scientists?
Once again it is the Canadian Federation of Agriculture’s policy positions that are driving the federal campaign for farmers’ votes.
That’s why the party platforms for agriculture are so similar. And it’s been that way for at least 80 years.
But the CFA has done farmers a great disservice over the years.
It has emphasized subsidies and supply management.
That has been responsible, in no small part, for the long-term decline in federal agricultural research, especially basic research which is the foundation for progress.
Sixty-five years ago Agriculture Canada had about 1,000 scientists working in research stations across Canada.
It was the nation’s largest research organization and it was staffed by dedicated, knowledgeable professionals.
They also collaborated closely with universities and provincial-government research and extension services.
Today the research agenda is dominated by multi-national corporations that patent every advance they can to garner more power, control and profit. Their greedy interests come ahead of farming families.
Why, pray tell, are advances in medicine and agriculture patented? Why is the research done by self-serving corporations instead of by the people’s institutions?
This situation has left Canadian agriculture in a precarious position.
All those billions in subsidies have not helped Canadian farmers to become more resilient, innovative, independent or profitable. It’s even worse south of the border where the presidents have had no clue about progressive farm policies.
It is farmers’ own entrepreneurial initiatives that have served the public’s interests, but unfortunately that has not been enough to maintain Canada as one of the leading agricultural nations in the world.
What has supply management done to advance genetics or management? It’s either corporations or individual entrepreneurs who are making the significant advances.
The marketing boards claim they have been leaders in ushering in animal welfare, food safety and quality, but in point of fact, Canada lags other nations, especially European nations.
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture has been timid in pushing agriculture’s potential to reduce greenhouse gasses and climate warming.
For example, it’s well known that cover crops improve soil quality and sequester carbon, and because the CFA has failed to call for a federal-government program to offer farmers about $50 an acre to incorporate cover crops into their crops management, that’s not in any party’s platform.
But all of the major parties are willing to offer billions in subsidies to reduce the carbon emitted by other sectors of the economy, much of the money recycled from carbon taxes.
And that’s to reduce carbon emissions, not to sequester carbon as farmers can do.
So if you’re not thrilled by the farm policy platforms of the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democratic Party or the Greens, complain about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, not the politicians.
And tell your local candidates that it’s government-run research without patents that holds far more potential for a better future than a re-jigged Business Risk Management program. •
— By Jim Romahn
Canada Voted
As of press time the votes had been tabulated and we find ourselves again with a federal minority Liberal Government.
At this time we do not know if will be a cabinet shuffle or Marie Claude Bibeau will remain Minister of Agriculture and Agri Food. In March of 2019 she became the first women in Canadian history to be appointed federal minister of this portfolio. •
