Alberta Livestock Expo
Alberta Livestock Expo will take place in Lethbridge October 5th & 6th, 2022 at Exhibition Park.
Expanded floor space, hot lunch buffet on Thursday plus returning Pork Quality Competition now open to all Alberta hog producers.
As of mid July booths 70% sold
Daily draws for Alberta made door prizes.
For details or more information please contact Katie at 431.337.8726 or
E: katie@albertalivestockexpo.com or
W: albertalivestockexpo.com •
Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop
Mark your calendars for Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop, which will take place Wednesday October 19th at the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel & Conference Centre (formally the Sheraton) in Red Deer.
With doors opening, registration and booth visits starting at 8am, then a full one day agenda.
Some featured topics: Knowing your cost of production & managing it, Sow nutrition, Internal biosecurity, AI and effective breeding, Sow behaviour and much much more.
See ad on page 25 for more details on speakers and topics. Early registration cost remains the same at $90/person or $400/5 people, (until October 2nd), then $110/person.
Online registration now open, booth bookings and sponsorship opportunities, and all the latest details 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 •
Alberta Pork Congress AGM
The Alberta Pork Congress Annual General Meeting will be held in conjunction with Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop, as a breakfast meeting prior to start of Swine Tech, Wednesday October 19th. Located at the Cambridge Hotel & Conference Centre in Red Deer, AB.
This will be the first opportunity to book your booth for the 2023 Alberta Pork Congress. Watch your inbox and the October issue for more information. •
Aherne Awards
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 2023 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, 2022. Apply today! Please contact Conference Coordinator Ashely Steeple at pork@ualberta.ca with any questions. •
Saskatchewan Pork Symposium
If marking your calendars another date to pencil in is for Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium. The 2 day event is planned for November 15th & 16th at the Saskatoon Inn & Conference Centre.
A couple featured speakers are Lesley Kelly and Dr. Steve Meyer. See ad on page 49 for more information.
Full details, agenda, sponsors and registration can be found on the Saskpork website saskpork.com. •
Alberta Pork AGM
Mark your calendars for the Alberta Pork Annual General Meeting November 24th. Location and more details in future issues. •
Prairie Livestock Expo
The Victoria Inn and Convention Centre will be host for the Prairie Livestock Expo Wednesday December 14th.
Initial planning has begun for the one day show, which features the Pork Quality Competition.
Watch future issues for more details and information.
Online registration will open soon at prairielivestockexpo.ca.
For details and information on or about the Pork Quality Competition contact Darren Bates PH: 204.799.8888 or Email:
dbates@pestell.com
For information on and about the show contact Dallas Ballance from GoodwinBallance Communications at 204.475.8585 or email info@prairielivestockexpo.ca •
Banff Pork Seminar
Banff Pork Seminar will return to the Castle in the Rockies January 10 – 12, 2023.
The committee has worked hard to once again bring forth a very solid agends of breakouts sessions and keynote speakers.
Some of the breakout topic sessions will be: Swine Health – Circovirus, Strep & E Coli; Sow Management – Feeding the Sow & the Farrowing Enviroment, Semen Quality; Technology- Digital Farm, Evaluation & Application; Piglet Management – Colostrum, Economics, Fostering Strategies; Grow/Finish Management – Late Finishers, Wean/Finish, Feeding Costs, Practice Tips; Feed & Nutrition – Reducing Feed Costs, Feed Mills; Building Engineering – Barn Efficiency, Future of Pig Housing, Manure Management and of course the ever popular Innovators.
A few of the feature keynote topics are: Pork Markets and Pork Economics on Wednesday morning, followed by Sustainable Food Production and Carbon Neutral on Thursday morning. As of press time the closing plenary session had not yet been determined.
Watch future issues for further information. Online registration will start in September.
A block of rooms are available at the Banff Springs Hotel for BPS2023 starting at $159/night plus taxes and fees for single occupancy. Space is limited so book early. Must book by December 1, 2022 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 •
Saskatchewan Livestock Expo
Saskatchewan Livestock Expo will return to its regular time of year in February in 2023. Mark Thursday February 9th, 2023 down for the 12th annual show in Swift Current, SK. The one day show will be held at the Kinetic Exhibition Park, featuring a trade show, door prizes, silent and live auction and of course the Cramer Cup series.
Registration will be open soon, watch the next edition for more information. •
Canadian Meat Industry Statement on Exemption in Front-of-Package Labelling Regulations
On June 30, in response to the federal government announcing an exemption from new front-of-package labelling requirements for ground meat, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, Canadian Meat Council, Canadian Pork Council, and National Cattle Feeders’ Association released the following statement:
Recently, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health announced the finalized Front-of-Package labelling regulations, part of the Government of Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy. In the finalized regulations, ground beef and pork are exempt from the requirement of having a front-of-package warning label.
We are pleased that the Government of Canada listened to our sector’s concerns and reversed the policy proposal on ground beef and pork–nutrient-dense, affordable proteins.
Thank you to all beef and pork producers and consumers across the country for raising the issue with elected representatives.
“We’re pleased Health Canada is exempting ground pork along with other nutritious foods such as milk, eggs, vegetables, and fruit from a front-of-package label. Ground pork is a convenient, whole food that contributes essential nutrients many Canadians need more of in their diets,” said Rick Bergmann, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council.
Ground meat is a nutrient-dense, complete protein that contributes iron, zinc, vitamin B12, and other essential nutrients to the Canadian diet. Statistics Canada, meanwhile, reports approximately half the calories Canadians consume come from nutrient poor ultra-processed foods.
Almost 50 per cent of beef consumed in Canada is ground beef and more than 90 per cent of Canadians consume ground beef on a weekly basis. Ground beef is one of the most popular and trusted sources of protein and an incredibly important source of revenue for the beef industry. The finalized regulations demonstrate a recognition of what consumers, farmers and ranchers know well, beef and pork are wholesome sources of high-quality protein that are important staples in Canadians’ diet.
“We are grateful that the Government of Canada heard our concerns and reversed the policy proposal on ground pork and ground beef. Affordable, nutrient-dense proteins like ground pork and ground beef are becoming increasingly important at a time when inflation and food prices are at an all-time high,” said Mark Ferguson, General Manager, Sask Pork.
“CMC is pleased that Health Canada is exempting ground meat like most other countries. This exemption will ensure that our members can continue to export their products without additional challenges, allowing us to keep feeding the world and Canadians with our world-class protein,” said Chris White, President & CEO, Canadian Meat Council.
Nearly 70 percent of the pork produced in Canada is exported to 100 countries.
We thank the Government of Canada, including the Prime Minister, Minister Duclos and Minister Bibeau for recognizing the nutrient value of ground beef and pork, and for listening to our concerns.
To the many leaders who advocated on our behalf both publicly and with colleagues, thank you for your tireless efforts—notably John Barlow, Conservative Agriculture Critic; Yves Perron, Bloc Quebecois Agriculture Critic; Francis Drouin, Parliamentary Secretary to Agriculture and Agri-Food; Kody Blois, MP and AGRI Chair; and Senators Rob Black, Don Plett, and Paula Simons. •
Global Appetite For Pork
While Canada is a strong exporter of pork, total global exports are forecast to decrease in 2022 from 2021 levels.
“Global market analysis by USDA forecasts a pork production increase of nearly 3% year-over-year in 2022 at 110.5 million tonnes (carcass weight equivalent),” says Ann Boyda, provincial livestock market analyst with Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development. “Much of this growth is based on China’s rebuild of its hog industry. China’s significance as a global player in the market cannot be overestimated. China’s forecast production is 46% of global pork or 51 million tonnes.”
Canada is ranked seventh, with a production forecast of 1.54 million tonnes, representing 2% of total global pork production. Canada is also a strong exporter of pork (estimates of 1.465 million tonnes in 2022). Canada’s competitors are forecast to remain the European Union, United States, Brazil and Mexico. USDA forecasts total exports to decrease in 2022 from 2021 by 4.3%, primarily attributed to the reduced imports of China and the Philippines.
“Uncertainty in the global marketplace stems from supply-chain disruptions due to COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and the threat of African Swine Fever (ASF). Rabobank, in their ‘Global Pork Quarterly Q2 2022’, also forecasts global pork trade in 2022 to decline, driven by weaker economic trends and ample pork supply,” explains Boyda.
The major markets for Alberta pork sales (fresh, frozen, chilled, including offal) in 2021 included Japan, United States, Mexico, South Korea, China and the Philippines. These countries account for nearly 96% of the total value of Alberta pork exports ($515 million).
“These 6 major markets are well established but opportunities in new and emerging markets should not be overlooked,” says Boyda. “There are growing appetites around the globe and the largest increase in consumption may take place in developing countries. ASF has the potential to change global trade flows as major exporters cope with the disease. Biosecurity remains Canada’s best protection against ASF and our industry remains diligent.” •
Vietnam Has African Swine Fever Vaccine
Vietnam said in early June it had successfully developed a vaccine to fight African swine fever.
It aims to be the first country to commercially produce and export an African swine fever vaccine.
Vietnam lost 20 per cent of its pigs after the first outbreak there in February, 2019.
It originated in Africa before spreading to Europe and Asia and has killed hundreds of millions of pigs globally, hitting China particularly hard.
“This is a milestone of the veterinary industry,” deputy agriculture minister Phung Duc Tien said in a statement.
“With immunity lasting six months, the vaccine will be a shield for hog-raising industry and pig production globally.”
The vaccine has been in development since November, 2019, in partnership with United States experts, with five clinical trials held.
Its safety and efficacy was confirmed by the Agricultural Research Service under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tien said.
“This success opens great expectations and the room to export African swine fever vaccine produced in Vietnam is huge,” Tien added.
He did not provide a timeframe for when the vaccine could be exported or estimate of Vietnam’s production capacity. •
— By Jim Romahn
Understanding Feed Controls to Prevent African Swine Fever
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) advises the information for importers to understand feed controls to prevent African swine fever (ASF) has been updated.
The CFIA reminds producers ASF can spread through contaminated feed or feed ingredients, and that producers should only buy swine feed from trusted sources that have proper biosecurity controls.
Check the Government of Canada Website for latest updates at inspection.canada.ca •
Viruses Survive Freezing
Researchers studying viruses similar to COVID-19 have found they can survive freezing temperatures in beef, pork, fish and chicken, but are less likely to survive in refrigeration.
They say the results point to the need to adhere to sustained and rigorous food safety protocols in meat-processing facilities.
Their trials found virus survival in frozen meats and fish for up to 30 days. •
— By Jim Romahn
Canada Approves Pork Imports From Brazil
Brazil has announced that Canada has approved two more pork plants to export to Canada, bringing the total to five.
But why Canadians would import pork from Brazil is a big question since Canada exports about 70 per cent of the pork its farmers produce.
The sanitary opening of the market followed years of negotiations between the authorities.
As well as the first three qualifications, the two new qualified plants are located in the state of Santa Catarina.
They are units of Pamplona Alimentos, from Presidente Getúlio (SC), and Cooperativa Central Aurora, in Joaçaba (SC).
“With the new qualifications, we hope that Canada will gain relevance in the final result of Brazilian pork exports, increasing the capillarity of this year’s shipments with good value-added products, such as belly and rib, in complementarity to local production,” said ABPA president Ricardo Santin.
“At the same time, sales to Canada are expected to contribute to reducing strong internal pressure on producers, who face production costs at historic levels.” •
— By Jim Romahn
Inflation Rate 7.7% Highest Since 1983
Food prices were also a major factor to the upside, with grocery bills increasing by 9.7 per cent over the past year. Within the food category, the cost of edible fats and oils skyrocketed 30 per cent, the fastest increase on record. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a major factor in that uptick, as Ukraine is one of the world’s leading suppliers of sunflower oil, and the war has caused shortages of the pantry staple. •
Government of Canada Announces Interest Relief for Agriculture Producers
The Government of Canada has announced that the interest-free portion of the Advance Payments Program will increase from $100,000 to $250,000 for the 2022 and 2023 program years. This change will represent total savings of $61 million for two years for 11,000 producers. The amendment to the Agricultural Marketing Programs Regulations is not retroactive, meaning the new limit will be applied to existing advances under the 2022 Advance Payments Program as of June 20, 2022.
The Manitoba Pork Credit Corporation (MPCC) administers the Advance Payments Program (APP) for the hog sector in western Canada. Under the program, eligible producers (who must own the animals covered under the program) are able to receive a cash advance up to a limit of $1,000,000. •
Canada Offers Ukraine Grain Storage
The Canadian government has offered $52 million to Ukraine for grain storage and laboratory equipment.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the funding during a G7 meeting in Germany.
Agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said she let Ukrainian agriculture minister Mykola Solskyi know the help is coming.
“He was very happy to hear the news,” she said.
Solskyi earlier told the House of Commons standing committee that Ukraine needs temporary grain storage.
Russia has continued to destroy grain facilities, including a soybean facility owned by Viterra.
Bibeau said a call for proposals has gone out for the purchase and installation of food or agricultural product storage including mobile silos. That will account for $50 million.
The remaining $2 million will be spent on lab equipment to test for animal diseases and other export requirements.
Ukraine’s grain exports are down by 44 per cent so far this year. •
Alberta’s Red Tape Reduction Strategy
Increased processing opportunities is just one of the highlights released by the Red Tape Reduction group last December.
Food for thought
Agriculture is a key economic driver for post-COVID-19 recovery and growth in Alberta, contributing $9.2 billion in GDP and employing nearly 70,000 Albertans.
The past few years of record-setting highs in food and beverage manufacturing have put the spotlight on the enormous potential for Alberta’s food industry.
Funding is necessary for growth and innovation to continue and the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) is a five-year, $3 billion federal-provincial-territorial investment in the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector.
It provides funding for strategic programs and initiatives and represents a federal-provincial investment of $406 million.
Initiatives to reduce red tape include:
Streamling the application process to make it easier for producer and food manufacturers to access funds more quickly.
Increased processing opportunities
Amendments to the Meat Inspection Regulation give consumers the freedom to buy an animal directly from the producer and have it slaughtered on-site for personal consumption.
Provincially licensed meat facilities can now salvage and sell meat by-products, allowing them to expand into markets that use these products for pet food and wildlife bait.
Industry voices
Alberta has 20 marketing boards and commissions. They represent producers in a variety of agricultural sectors including beef, barley, elk, lamb, milk, pork and oat growers. These boards and commissions carry out projects or programs that help improve the production and marketing of the commodity they represent. Red tape reduction initiatives have moved operational requirements from regulations to bylaws helping boards and commissions move more quickly to respond to the needs of their specific agricultural sector. •
— Source Alberta Government
Specific Policies Recommended for Environmental Programs
The federal government would be better to keep business risk management programs separate from those to tackle global warming, says a report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.
The report from lead author and agriculture economist Al Mussell says policies with two sets of objectives often end up hampered from achieving desired results for either objective.
Rather than requiring environmental compliance to qualify for business risk management programs, Mussell suggests a better alternative would be the Environmental Farm Plan program.
In what he describes as a brief and quick report, he writes that:
“Pursuing multiple program objectives with a single set of programs increases the risks that the programs will not deliver on either outcome effectively and increases the government’s vulnerability to provide ad hoc supports. There are significant challenges with cross-compliance, including effectiveness, increasing moral hazard ( i.e. cheating), administrative burden and its impact on actuarial soundness.”
“Targeted environmental programs, possibly leveraging the Environmental Farm Plan, will likely deliver better, more efficient and effective environmental outcomes.
“There is a need for a deeper dialogue on how to improve effectiveness, responsiveness, and innovation of risk management tools in Canada.” •
— By Jim Romahn
Music to Soothe a Pig’s Soul
Researchers in Belgium have begun looking into the effects music has on pigs after farmer Piet Passmans said his sows seem to like music.
When his son started singing a tune in the barn during a sluggish insemination session his sows seemed excited and started wagging their tails, he said.
“I thought this is too good to pass up, we should try that with the other pigs too,” Paesmans told a reporter.
He has a playlist for different times of the day, energetic when he wants them active and lullabies when he wants them to sleep.
“Jolly dance songs are the biggest hits. They really start wagging their tails and when it’s really dynamic they even start dancing around and frolicking. Rock music is too strong, they don’t like it,” Paesmans said.
The European Union has provided about $90,000 for a research project under coordinated by Sander Palmans who said not much is known about pigs’ reaction to music but Paesmans’ experience chimes with existing knowledge of the effects of sounds in general on animals.
“There is without a doubt an effect of specific noises on animals. So it’s really possible that music can have the same effect,” he said, adding that it could help relieve boredom which has been linked to stress.
The findings could have practical impacts for the industry as meat quality is affected by stress in animals, Paesmans said.
Many dairy farmers in Ontario have use music and radio stations to provide background to mask noises that might upset cattle. •
— By Jim Romahn
Kansas Researcher Studying Pphytase
Joel DeRouchey of Kansas State University has begun trials to determine the benefits of adding phytase to hog rations, such as improved growth, feed efficiency and bone integrity.
It seems to be a bit like re-inventing the wheel because Dr. Cecil Forsberg at the University of Guelph demonstrated early this century that genetically engineering pigs so they emit phytase from the salivary glands in their mouth improved feed efficiency.
That research ended going nowhere because it became too expensive to complete research to demonstrate to federal regulators that it is both safe and effective.
DeRouchey said that “by putting phytase into the diet, the pig has the ability to break down more of the phosphorus in its digestive system, absorb it, and use it for growth, feed efficiency and bone integrity.”.
Corn and soybean meal – two common ingredients in swine diets – provide only 14 per cent and 30 per cent of available phosphorus, DeRouchey said.
“Thus what the pig is not able to digest, they simply excrete through manure, and that gets applied in the environment,” he said.
Reducing phosphorous in hog manure was the main aim in developing the Enviropig at the University of Guelph because it would improve Great Lakes water quality. •
— By Jim Romahn
