Amid vaccine mandates, trucker protests, and product supply issues, Rick Bergmann, president of the Canadian Pork Council, said the biggest problem is moving live pigs south and animal feed north.
“We have a shortage of trucks and drivers, and this isn’t good for the hog industry nor is it good for society in general. So when people across the country send me pictures of store shelves that are not as full as they should be, certainly for our business here in Canada of raising pork, it’s a big problem.”
Producers need to see trucks moving to get their live animals across the border into the United States, where producers buy millions and millions of weanlings and feeders from Canadian producers. This restrictive measure impacts the movement of live animals and all goods.
It isn’t only pigs and pork but naturally the feed as well.
As president of the CPC, Bergmann keeps in contact with the federal minister of agriculture, Marie Claude-Bibeau in either a meeting, exchanging text messages and updating her on the severity of the situation.
Regarding the feed shortage with the lack of truck freight, the minister spoke with the CEO of CP Rail to get the rails moving for moving the feed.
Despite washouts and derailments, the trains are rolling and a fair amount of product will be coming in.
“I hope that will be enough because right now, there’s very little product. In Alberta, the CCA Canadian Cattlemen’s Association is very concerned about the feedstuffs on the farm right now. They’re very dependent on bringing in the feed like pork producers.
This on-farm feed shortage comes on the heels of a massive shortfall in the 2021 crop, down almost 40 per cent.
“It is a problem. And we must tell people that because I think the further away you are from the fire, the less heat you feel. And we all know how it’s impacted our farms. And now with the challenge of transportation and so on, it’s heightened awareness.”
Bergmann is also in contact with their counterparts in the U.S., the National Pork Producer Council.
“They are aware of the situation because they need our live pigs, and we import pork from the U.S. They’d like to see the trucks going north with pork.”
The CPC is working hard and hopes to resolve a significant problem sooner than later. Indications from the federal ag minister is she’s working hard on it.
“We just got to keep on making sure that we get what we need to provide what we have to for our animals.”
Instead of getting into the issue of politics, the CPC chair and a hog producer near Steinbach, MB wants to ensure that Canadian pork producers have the feedstuffs they need for their animals. And those exporting thousands of isoweans and finishers keep going because welfare and animal care are on the top of every producer’s mind in Canada. And when the animals are ready to go, they need to go.
“So we’re a very much real-time producers, and absolutely, we’re doing our best to make sure that the shelves are full in our country and other countries, but we can’t do that ourselves. There are many links in the chain, and there are a few links that are very weak right now that need quick and firm resolutions.” •
— By Harry Siemens
