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 hybrid 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,
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 MSS 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. Booths are 60% sold out. 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.
Cramer Cup Series: The current plan is to proceed with the Annual Cramer Cup Series, following all health and safety guidelines. As always the main contact for the Cramer Cup Series is Doug Cramer 306.520.3553 and the Series will once again showcase the best in local pork quality, alfalfa hay, homemade pies, eggs and silage.
Should the show not be allowed to take place due to health restrictions, refunds for booths and sponsorships will be given. •
Alberta Pork Congress
The board of directors will be meeting in Banff during Banff Pork Seminar to discuss the upcoming show in June of 2022.
More details along with registration will be available in the February edition of Prairie Hog Country. For now save the date June 15 & 16, 2022. •
Manitoba and Federal Governments Investing More Than $2M in Pork Industry
The federal and provincial governments are investing more than $2 million to help improve the competitiveness and sustainability of pork producers in Manitoba.
The two governments announced recently that they will be investing a combined $2.2 million which will go toward three research projects.
Topigs Norsvin Canada will be conducting the projects and they include:
· Increased feed efficiency, improved carcass quality and higher animal welfare standards by innovative application of microbiome profiling, computer tomography and genomics;
·Improving knowledge regarding sow reproduction and management practices for optimal lifetime productivity and embryo transfer success; and
·Innovative application of artificial knowledge intelligence, machine learning, behavioural science and genomics to enhance resource efficiency for environmental sustainability of sow farms in Manitoba using welfare-friendly production.
“Today’s consumers are turning to Canadian pork because of its safety, quality and sustainability,” said Marie-Claude Bibeau, the federal minister for Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Bibeau said the three projects will be completed at Topigs Norsvin’s new research facility in Manitoba.
This new facility will be in Plumas, Man., and it is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2022.
“The first of its kind in the world, these projects will utilize leading-edge artificial intelligence, computer vision, behavioural research and precision feeding to generate a database comprised of important animal health and welfare data,” the province said in a news release.
“Our shared vision is to make a global leader in sustainable agriculture production,” said Bibeau.
Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Ralph Eichler said the Agri-Food industry plays a vital role in Manitoba’s economy.
“Manitoba is developing an international reputation as a centre for pork excellence, for research, for development, swine genetics and pork production,” said Eichler.
“Our government is pleased to support the work of our producers through these innovative projects that will accelerate agricultural innovation, promote knowledge transfer to producers, advance value-added opportunities, strengthen competitiveness and support sustainable agricultural development in our provincial pork industry.”
Funding for these projects is coming from the Ag Action Manitoba Program-Research and Innovation, through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. •
Maple Leaf Foods Will Complete Conversion of All Company Sow Barns to Advanced Open Housing
System in 2021
Maple Leaf Farms Inc., a leading North American producer of high-quality, sustainable protein, announced recently that by end of 2021, it will complete transitioning all breeding sows in company owned barns to its unique, industry leading Advanced Open Sow Housing System. This world-class system provides optimized, open housing during pregnancy that allows sows to roam, rest, feed and socialize freely.
This shift in sow housing makes Maple Leaf Foods a North American leader in producing pigs without gestation crates and represents another key milestone in the company’s commitment to better care through advanced animal welfare. •
Global Pork Industry is Troubled
Rabobank’s research unit said in a quarterly report recently that the global pork industry is stalling. Global hog prices moved sharply lower, as the global recovery in production has outpaced the rebound in demand.
The rapid decline in prices and resulting producer losses in some markets will slow 2022 herd growth, helping offset improved herd health and reduced African swine fever (ASF) impacts. Prices have since stabilized but remain well below the peak.
Pork prices are also lower seasonally yet remain heavily dependent on pandemic restrictions and macroeconomic trends.
Shortage of workers is an issue in some markets, Rabobank said, and rising input costs are squeezing margins and could also reduce planned production.
Passing rising costs through to retail prices will likely reduce consumer demand, especially in income-sensitive countries.
China
Producers responded to rising costs and the continued threat of African Swine Fever outbreaks by reducing the herd.
Some high-cost producers have been forced out of business.
Demand remains weak, limited by pandemic dining restrictions. In response to this slowdown, China continues to limit imports in an effort to balance supply. That has impacted Canadian pork processors, such as Olymel and Conestoga Meats.
Given ongoing demand weakness, Rabobank expects pork supplies to remain ample following herd reduction and previous restocking, but supplies could be short of needs should economic trends improve.
Europe EU hog prices are 24 per cent below the five-year average, on larger slaughter and weaker demand in both domestic and export markets.
Producers in Germany and the Netherlands are liquidating the herd and are expected to reduce production in the coming months. Labor challenges are also an issue at some plants, though the impacts are not widespread.
United States
Hog supplies will remain tight through early 2022 but will be higher compared with prior-year levels. Even so, rising costs and added regulatory constraints are expected to moderate expansion plans, as are packing constraints made worse by labor availability.
Domestic demand is expected to slow as higher costs are passed through to consumers, with export growth acting as a welcome buffer.
Brazil
Producers remain optimistic, despite a 34 per cent increase in feed costs.
Sales into export markets remain strong, helped by weakness in the Brazilian currency and larger pork supplies.
Rabobank predicts production will increase by 5.5 per cent this year and continue next year. •
— By Jim Romahn
Agri-food Exporters Excited by Launch of Trade Negotiations with ASEAN
Dan Darling, President of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance (CAFTA) recently issued the following statement regarding the launch of trade talks between Canada and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“Agri-food exporters are very excited by the launch of comprehensive talks with ASEAN. We have long believed this should be Canada’s top trade negotiating priority in Southeast Asia and today’s announcement is welcome news.
“As a market of over 640 million people with a GDP of $3.6 trillion, Canadian agri-food exporters see huge potential in the fast growing and dynamic ASEAN countries.
“Several agriculture and agri-food segments stand to benefit from an ambitious Canada-ASEAN pact including canola, beef, pork, pulses, cereals, oilseeds, sugar, malt and processed foods. Removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers may also provide long term opportunity for sugar-containing products and processed food products.
“We will be urging Canada’s negotiators to secure an ambitious agreement which includes tariff liberalization that creates meaningful market access, forward-looking rules of origin provisions that support Canada’s agri-food supply chains and addressing non-tariff barriers that create a more transparent and predictable trading system.
“We call on the federal government to ensure all Parliamentary process requirements are expedited so the first negotiating round can take place in early 2022.
“Throughout the pandemic, our members have made clear that agri-food trade can play a major role in building back better. Today’s announcement is a giant step in the right direction to ensure our sector helps drive Canada’s economic recovery forward.
“Canada’s agri-food sector looks forward to working closely with the federal government to ensure Canada’s export interests are secured in these negotiations.” •
Meatpackers Hit Hard by COVID-19
A congressional committee reports that the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in meat-packing plants last year were three times higher than was believed.
At least 59,000 employees at the five largest meatpacking companies in the United States contracted the virus, which was almost three times more than previously estimated for those companies based on publicly available information, according to a staff memorandum from the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis.
The subcommittee report said at least 269 of those workers died after contracting COVID-19, also nearly three times higher than previous estimates based on public data compiled by the Food and Environmental Reporting Network (FERN).
The report, released in conjunction with a subcommittee hearing Wednesday on the subject, said the latest figures come from newly obtained documents from the five meatpackers: JBS USA, Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, Cargill Meat Solutions and National Beef Packing Co.
The report also said internal company documents obtained by the subcommittee show that some companies dismissed indications that workers were contracting the virus at high rates and instead “prioritized profits and production over worker safety.”
The report accuses the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of making a “political decision” not to set regulatory standards that would have protected workers and could have saved lives and concludes the Trump Administration failed to provide the guidance and oversight needed to mitigate the spread of the virus.
It said the Labor Department failed to protect meatpacking workers by refusing to issue an Emergency Temporary Standard that would have required employers to take specific steps to protect workers.
Responding to the hearing, the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) said data from both FERN and the New York Times show average new case rates in the sector have been similar to or lower than case rates in the general population since the fall of 2020. Case rates in the meat sector are currently 98 per cent lower than the general U.S. population, NAMI said.
“Frontline meat and poultry workers were among the first impacted by the pandemic, but publicly available data confirm that comprehensive measures implemented in the sector since spring 2020, including extensive infection prevention and vaccination efforts, have successfully protected the sector’s dedicated and diverse workforce as they have continued feeding Americans and keeping our economy working,” said Julie Anna Potts, chief executive officer for NAMI.
Independent scientific research backs the effectiveness of COVID 19 prevention measures implemented in meatpacking facilities since spring 2020, NAMI said. The group cited University of Nebraska Medical Centre Research that found a combination of universal masking and physical barriers reduced cases significantly in 62 per cent of meat facilities studied. •
— By Jim Romahn
Grand Valley Fortifiers helps 4-H
Grand Valley Fortifiers is giving $15,000 to the 4-H movement so it can update its swine program.
The existing 4-H Swine Project Resource was released in 2007. The 4-H Swine project resource update will include innovations in swine housing and nutrition, updates to the national swine traceability system, current consumer trends and more, said 4-H Ontario.
“Grand Valley Fortifiers is honoured to support this important 4-H initiative as we believe the education of young people interested in farming is extremely valuable for the future of Canadian agriculture and the development of Ontario’s youth.,” said David Ross, vice-president of the GVP Group. •
The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute Announces Distinguished Fellowship
Recently, the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) named four renowned agri-food experts as Distinguished Fellows. Dr. Susan Wood-Bohm, Dr. Ellen Goddard, Ted Bilyea, and Nicolas Mesly will contribute to a thriving and sustainable agri-food system through policy research in the critical areas of environmental sustainability, innovation and animal health, trade, and water.
CAPI’s Distinguished Fellows will use their extensive experience to lead projects over the next year. They will build on CAPI’s interdisciplinary approach, leveraging data and insights from across the agri-food system, and translate it into actionable next steps. The Fellows will also act as ambassadors encouraging deeper, bolder policy thinking about critical issues affecting Canada’s agri-food system. •
Butcher Shortage Prompting Pig Culling
The United Kingdom is so short of butchers that pigs are backing up on farms and farmers say they may soon have to start culling some.
The situation is similar to Quebec when Olymel workers at its largest packing plant engaged in a strike and farmers ended up euthanizing thousands of market-ready hogs.
The British farming industry has warned that hundreds of thousands of pigs may have to be culled within weeks unless the government issues visas to allow more butchers into the country.
Reuters news agency reports that an acute shortage of butchers and slaughterers in the meat processing industry has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and Britain’s post-Brexit immigration policy, which has restricted the flow of east European workers.
The government recently announced a plan to issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers and 5,500 poultry workers to alleviate shortages but has given no indication it will introduce schemes for other areas. It argues businesses should invest in their workforce and improve pay and conditions.
Lizzie Wilson, policy services officer at the National Pig Association said the shortage of butchers meant processors were operating at 25 per cent reduced capacity.
As a result mature pigs ready for processing are backing-up on farms, causing welfare issues.
“There’s about 120,000 pigs sat on farm currently that should have already been slaughtered, butchered, be within the food chain and eaten by now,” said Wilson.
“It is getting to the point where we are saying to government if we don’t get some help soon we’re going to have to look at culling pigs on farm, because that’s our only option now,” she said, adding “there are some producers that have already had the conversation.”
Britain’s biggest pork processors are Cranswick, Morrisons, Pilgrim’s Pride and Karro Food Group.
Wilson said consumers were already seeing the impact of the crisis on supermarket shelves as processors had rationalised pork product ranges. •
— By Jim Romahn
Canadian Pork Council Names New Board
Pork producers and provincial senior staff from across Canada virtually met last month for the Canadian Pork Council’s (CPC) fall members’ meeting. In addition to discussing the industry’s preparedness for African Swine Fever, the industry leaders discussed the Council’s priorities for the new federal government and the development of a compartmentalization program to permit pork trade in the event of a disease outbreak.
CPC also affirmed its board of directors and elected an executive for 2022. Rick Bergmann, a producer from Manitoba was re-elected as chairman and will be joined by Quebec producer René Roy who was re-elected as 1st vice chair, Ontario producer, Doug Ahrens being re-elected as 2nd Vice Chair and Jack DeWit from British Columbia was re-elected as Treasurer.
“The Canadian hog industry is a vital contributor to the country’s economy and look forward to working with my colleagues to address the many challenges and opportunities we will meet over the next year,” stated Rick Bergmann.
The CPC directors welcomed Ontario producer Chris Cossitt who will join its Board of Directors in January. Chris will be replacing Eric Schwindt as an Ontario pork producer representative.
The Canadian Pork Council’s 2022 Board of Directors is made up of representatives from nine provincial producer organizations.
British Columbia: Jack DeWit; Alberta: Brent Moen; Saskatchewan: Casey Smit; Manitoba: Scott Peters and Claude Vielfaure Ontario: Doug Ahrens and Chris Cossitt; Québec: Yvan Fréchette and René Roy; Maritimes: Hans Kristensen and Chair: Rick Bergmann. •
Canada Predicted to Produce Less Beef and Pork
Canada will produce one per cent less beef and about two per cent less pork next year, predicts the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service.
It said drought will reduce the Canadian cattle herd by two per cent and that carcass weights will be lower than the heavy animals backed up by the impact of COVID-19 on meat-packing plants this year and last.
Domestic beef consumption is expected to weaken in the next year, however, strong global demand will support the industry’s export business, the GAIN report said.
Sow numbers will begin to increase next year and Canada will have more finishing capacity, the report said, and fewer market hogs will be shipped to the U.S. because the Olymel strike in Quebec is over.
Still, pork production is expected to decline by two per cent as pandemic backlogs are reduced and carcass weights drop. •
— By Jim Romahn
BC Flood GoFundMe Page
“Help Our BC Farm Families” GoFundMe Page, was created last week to support British Columbia’s farmers and livestock producers in the Fraser Valley, which has been hard hit by devastating floods. Approximately 62% of British Columbia’s agriculture is based in the Fraser Valley. This crisis will undoubtedly be one of the most servare disasters affecting farmers in Canada’s history.
Funds raised will be distributed to farmers with valid PIDs in affected areas through the Western Canadian Association of Swine Veterinarians and Western Association of Poultry Veterinarians.
To donate to the Help Our BC Farm Families GoFundMe page, please visit:
gofundme.com/f/help-our-BC-farm-families .
For more information contact Dr Jessica Law, at Prairie Livestock Veterinarians. •
