Rick Bergmann
Production and processing leaders from across Canada left a meeting in Calgary on Jan. 28 with the feeling that something great is afoot.
Last fall, Michael Young from Canadian Pork International presented producers and processors with a new proposal for a pork grading system that would provide a high level of detail about what’s inside the package.
He then asked leaders from the production and processing sectors to gather in Calgary to give the proposal a closer look and decide where they want to go with it.
“That meeting was a home run. The level of anticipation and positivity was higher than what was initially expected. It was really just a tremendous meeting to be part of,” said Manitoba producer Rick Bergmann, chair of the Canadian Pork Council.
Bergmann said there were about 45 people in attendance, including six or seven processors, who are now prepared to move forward with a plan to create a grading system for pork products, based on CPI’s proposal.
It will take time and several more meetings to iron out all of the details, he said. But there is tremendous acceptance for the idea both as a means to attract domestic consumers and to help create a stronger brand for Canadian pork competing for share in international markets.
“This is the first time that a meeting like this has occurred, where you have people from different areas of the industry from across the country . . . talking about a grading system for pork in Canada,” said Bergmann.
“It was an initiative that producers said, ‘well, why not?’ We all know that the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago, and so now we’re looking to the future and we said, well, we better start planting trees.”
Being solid at home is one of the aspects of being solid abroad, he said. “We’ve got quality that is recognized around the world. We want to establish a bit of a grading mechanism to help differentiate our product further.” He said there is a lot more work to do before the system can be put in place.
It’s a similar move to what Canada’s beef industry did about 20 year ago, said Bergmann. The product range is different, and the grading system is therefore likely to be quite a bit more complex, he said.
“There are two things we don’t want. We don’t want the process to go too fast, and we don’t want it to go too slow. Amongst all of the players, that were there today, the objective is to, when we do it, let’s do it right. We’d rather do it right, and take our time doing it right, versus going too fast and missing some very critical steps,” said Bergmann.
Ultimately, consumers will be able to see incredible detail about the type and quality of the pork they’re buying, including certified information about the standards under which it was raised.
A date and location for the next meeting has not yet been set. At some point, it is likely that a steering committee will be struck to help focus the discussion, said Bergmann. •
— By Brenda Kossowan
