Alberta Pork
4828 89 street T6E5K1 Edmonton, AB, Canada

"People need to be vigilant. People need to be looking out for each other," said Ken Wigmore, a Lacombe County councillor and president of the Red Deer/Lacombe Rural Community Crime Watch. "They need to get their neighbours’ phone numbers and contact information. In this age of social media, we can alert people of what to watch for without getting out of our armchair." "Be aware, watch your animals, close your gates, look after yourself, look after your neighbours."

Pork producers in Canada are facing difficult times. First, it was China’s ban on Canadian pork in 2019. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing plant closures, reducing processing capacity, and creating economic losses. The Canadian pork industry is suffering, and it could get even worse. An African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in Canada could cost the entire pig and pork value chain $50 billion, which is more than twice what the sector contributes to the national economy annually.

Following some tough times involving COVID disruptions and issues watching finished pork prices soar while farm gate prices fell, four western Canadian pork producer group boards met with packers to discuss pricing issues. We met with them just under the premise of having a discussion, Alberta Pork’s Darcy Fitzgerald said. It wasn’t to point fingers just to sit down and look at our industry and talk about how we might go forward. Where are the issues? Hog producers say c...urrent returns on investment, under the current pricing structure, are not sustainable, and that nobody wins if one partner in the value chain isn’t making money. The western boards hope more meetings with packers are in the cards for the future.

A new Canadian Cow-Calf Cost of Production Network will be building those benchmarks for cow-calf producers across the country. Led by Canfax, the network will allow producers in every province to do an apples-to-apples comparison of their operations’ performance to that of other producers here in Canada and elsewhere. Good record-keeping helps take the guesswork out of decision-making, said Ann Boyda, livestock economist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. That’s ultima...tely the point of monitoring cost of production identifying incremental improvements that help drive efficiency and financial performance, said Boyda. The bottom line is profitability and sustainability, she added. The ability to measure and manage costs is central to successful operations. If they’re looking to be in the business in the future, they need to keep an eye on this type of information.

Brent Moen, Chair, Alberta Pork virtually joined Devin Dreeshen, Minister, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, along with commodity group representatives from across the province, for the ninth, annual Chops and Crops event on Nov. 23, to discuss challenges and successes in the Alberta agri-food industry. The event was moderated by long-time agriculture journalist Dianne Finstad. Brent asked, Over the past year, the Government of Alberta has significantly reduced department bu...dgets and key staff numbers in several areas, including Agriculture and Forestry. However, our ability to mitigate both human and animal disease issues is predicated on strong disease surveillance and rapid response capacity as COVID-19 and other disease issues have shown. To this point, will ongoing staffing and budget reductions impact the ability of the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian and the Agriculture and Forestry Provincial Laboratory to help protect our province’s multi-billion-dollar livestock industry? In his response, the Minister affirmed his support for the Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian’s work, along with pledging to continue providing the necessary resources for the Agriculture and Forestry Provincial Laboratory to effectively detect and respond to livestock disease.

The Porc Show virtual Exhibitors Area is live! Take a tour and learn about the many organizations that make Canada's largest pork conference possible. The Canadian Hog Journal is proud to support the Porc Show. Find coverage in the Winter 2021 edition, published in January.

The U.S. National Pork Board has announced the launch of AgView, a technology solution to help the U.S. pork industry respond faster than ever before possible in the event of a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak. AgView, as a single software platform, allows for the rapid and accurate visualization of relevant pig movement data and diagnostic test results to create visibility, accountability and trust during an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) or another FAD. According to a recent study from Iowa State University, an outbreak of African swine fever in the United States could cost the pork industry $50 billion over 10 years.

For every dollar Americans spend on their Thanksgiving dinner this year, farmers and ranchers will earn approximately 11.9 cents, according to National Farmers Union (NFU). This marks a slight decline from 2019, when farmers claimed 12.15 cents of the Thanksgiving food dollar. Though farmers’ increasingly small share of food expenditures could be blamed on dropping commodity prices in years past, that isn’t the case this Thanksgiving; after cratering during the pandemic, prices for many agricultural products have mostly recovered. Instead, the shift can be attributed to higher grocery bills.

African Swine Fever (ASF) has decimated the Chinese hog herd, but the country's ambitious re-build is starting to show. While global export values and volumes to China have doubled twice, between 2018 & 2019 and between 2019 & 2020, the window of opportunity could be closing, as other proteins like chicken, fish and alternatives make gains, and as domestic pig production inches closer to pre-ASF levels. For most of the past two years, domestic pork prices in China have been prohibitively expensive for many consumers, which has been a difficult situation for Chinese officials but a boon for global pork traders, including Canadian processors.

‘Canadian’ and ‘choice’ go hand-in-hand. It is important we continue to defend choice everywhere, including food and agriculture, for producers and consumers. Today, we solemnly remember the price many have paid to preserve choice in Canada.

Olymel has announced that all 1,850 employees at its pork processing facility in Red Deer went through COVID-19 testing on Thursday in response to the community resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Alberta. Company officials say the facility currently has 10 confirmed active cases of COVID-19, and that testing was done in collaboration with Alberta Health Services and UFCW Local 401.

For farm workers seeking Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IIRC) requires applicants pass the CELPIP Test, an English language proficiency exam. Producers and barn workers are encouraged to join Alberta Pork partner Martine Varekamp-Bos with Immigration Care for a free online CELPIP Test info session on Wed., Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. MST. During the session, participants will learn strategies and receive resources to help ...assist citizenship and residency applicants to successfully pass the exam. Learn more and register now: https://buff.ly/33fly3z

Rural America did not hand Biden the White House. The billions in subsidies that keep American farmers afloat were integral to Trump's re-election strategy. Congress is unlikely to turn off the subsidy tap. There are similarly slim-to-nil odds of the U.S. suddenly backing off its hardball pursuit of new international markets for the surplus farm products those subsidies enable. Canadian canola, beef and pork exports [to China] have paid the price for Canada co-operating with... the U.S. in pursuit of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou's business practices. Trump had to drag former TPP partners like Japan to the table to cut a bilateral deal to prevent other members like Canada from eating into U.S. export markets with their new tariff advantages.

Canada's inflation rate rose by 0.7% in October on an annual basis. Statistics Canada says the increase was mostly driven by higher food prices, particularly vegetables and meat. On a regional basis, prices rose higher in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Great to see investment in Canadian meat processing! Meanwhile, however, producers are losing money on pigs, preventing them from renovating or building new hog barns to supply under-capacity packers. We need to work together toward longer-term sustainability.

Agriculture is the lifeblood of Lethbridge County. In fact, the southern Alberta municipality has proven to be the beating heart of agriculture in the province, annually generating $2.2 billion in gross farm receipts. Lethbridge County is perceived as a hotbed especially for feedlot operations, but more generally for intensive livestock operations. The market value of livestock and poultry surged more than 200 per cent to $1.1 billion in 2016 from about $358 million in 2011.

Are producers, packers, retailers and consumers all getting a fair share of the pig and pork pie? The Fall 2020 edition of the Canadian Hog Journal, published next week, will feature: - An update on shared value concerns... - A look at African Swine Fever (ASF) preparedness - Coverage of pro-trucker rallies - An exploration of marketing power balance - Meat counter economics amid COVID-19 Plus industry news, upcoming events, commentary, research and more. Grab a slice before it's all gone!

"China, the top pork consumer, has set a long-term goal to be almost completely self-sufficient in the staple... "China is targeting 95 per cent self-sufficiency in pork, according to a State Council document on developing the livestock industry. The nation will also expand imports of safe meat products from more countries to supplement output... "Hog inventories are already expanding, with herds rising for a seventh straight month in August, signaling growing confidence amo...ng breeders. More than 11,000 new large-scale farms have become operational..." What could this development mean for the Canadian hog industry and all export-dependent pork-producing countries? Producers, packers and retailers now more than ever should seek to get a fairer share of the pie for everyone. The industry's sustainability depends on it. Check out the BNN Bloomberg report below and read more on producer-packer-retailer industry sustainability in the Fall 2020 edition of the Canadian Hog Journal, published next week.

This year's registrations are free-of-charge for the Porc Show, Banff Pork Seminar and Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium virtual formats! While we'll all miss out on the in-person networking, the conferences are now more accessible than ever for all stakeholders around the world. Learn more and register now:... Sask Pork Symposium (Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Dec. 3, 2020) - https://www.saskpork.com/pork-industry-symposium Le Porc Show (Nov. 25 and Dec. 3 & 9, 2020) - https://leporcshow.com/en/evenements/porcshow-2020/ Banff Pork Seminar (Jan. 5 & 7, 2021) - https://www.banffpork.ca/ For written coverage of these events, check out the Canadian Hog Journal's Winter 2021 edition, published in January 2021, and the Banff 2021 edition, published in March 2021. The Canadian Hog Journal's Fall 2020 edition will be published next week!

"China has witnessed a pig herd contraction of almost 40% and an increase in animal protein imports due to the deficit created by the ASF crisis. However, as the pork prices have jumped to over $5 per kilogram, consumers are looking to other alternatives such as chicken meat or beef." In both July and August of this year, Chinese pork imports doubled in volume compared to those same months last year. As domestic pork price and availability continues to be volatile, will chan...ging consumer behaviours have long-term impacts on the Canadian pork export industry? Let's hope not! If producers and packers can work together toward shared value, great opportunity still exists for the industry to remain sustainable.

With unemployment at a decade high across Canada, tripling since 2014 in Alberta, are retailers on consumers' side? Reduced income, greater food price inflation and other purchasing power challenges are hurting Canadians during COVID-19. Canadians have a lot of questions about why their groceries, especially their meat, costs so much. Is now the time to make them pay more?

"Farmgate prices remain 5% higher than last year and 9% higher than in 2018." "In contrast to the UK average farmgate prices, across Europe they are much lower than last year, and also much lower than the five-year average." In Canada, the pricing gap between producers and processors has gradually widened, while the gap between producers & processors and retailers has grown exponentially.... Retail pork prices in Canada have dropped slightly since July levels, during which time all red meat was prohibitively costly for many consumers, while producers saw none of the value shared back down the supply chain, as retailers removed 'hero pay' for their workers and started charging new 'supplier fees' for e-commerce.

As one major pork exporter (Germany) has its doors closed to lucrative Asian markets as a result of African Swine Fever (ASF), another (Belgium) seeks re-entry after recently achieving ASF-free status following a lengthy uphill battle against the disease. Without international zoning agreements in place, ASF's presence in any export-dependent pork-producing country, including Canada, spells disaster. The trade toll of ASF would quickly outpace the disease toll, but is our gov...ernment doing enough? Currently, Canada has only two zoning agreements established, with the U.S. and E.U. While the U.S. is our top export destination by volume, the E.U. buys very little Canadian pork, and the collective dollar value of exports to countries like Japan, China, South Korea and the Philippines (all of which have banned German pork) greatly outweighs the value of our U.S. exports. What will happen if ASF reaches Canada?

All business relationships contain a balance of power. In the Alberta hog industry, over time, the power has swung from an equitable place for both producers and packers, to favouring packers and retailers. Between 1969 and 1996, Alberta Pork acted as the single-desk seller for hogs in the province. In those days, there were nearly 10 times as many registered producers but also about half the total number of hogs on-farm compared to today. When producers chose to step away f...rom the single desk model, some dramatic changes took shape. It is likely that few at the time could have predicted how pivotal that decision would be nearly a quarter-century down the road. When it comes to generating positive change across the value chain, greater producer action and packer collaboration are needed. Producers need to ask: What steps do I need to take to shift the power back to an equitable place for both producers and packers?

Food is not a likely source or route of transmission for COVID-19, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says. No cases of the illness have been reported in connection with food or food packaging, it said in a Sept. 14 news release. As well, the agency confirmed that domestic poultry and pigs do not pose a risk of transmitting the virus.

Alberta Pork is proud to support BBQ on the Bow and is excited to see the return of competition BBQ to Alberta!

Eyewitness Eurasian wild boar sighting in Berlin, Germany, about 150 km northwest of the site where at least one carcass was found and tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) a week ago. It's the country's first confirmed ASF case, and efforts are underway to secure the area, including installing electrified fencing along the border with Poland. As a result of the initial ASF case and new suspected cases, a growing list of countries including China, Japan, South Korea... and the Philippines have banned imports of German pork, which could severely impact exports from the European Union. Approximately 25% of E.U. pork is German in origin. If a case of ASF were to be discovered in Canada in our invasive wild pig population or a domestic herd, the result would be catastrophic.

"As longtime observers of Alberta hog industry politics will recognize, the disdainful attitude by a hog processor towards producers has been part of industry troubles for over 40 years. "I cite the heyday of the Alberta Pork Producers Marketing Board and nefarious processors like Peter Pocklington of Gainers Meats. The marketing mischief and political battles were legendary. The government of the day did what it could to promote peaceful co-existence, but I suggest their ac...tion or lack thereof back then, was the genesis of the state of the Alberta hog industry woes today... "Hog marketing in western Canada and particularly Alberta has suffered from a systemic dysfunctional hog pricing system for the past 40 years. It’s a whole other story, but the result is that independent producers in this province consistently receive the lowest prices for their hogs on the continent." Read the full opinion piece from Brooks Bulletin: https://brooksbulletin.com/hog-producers-want-to-survive-b/

If you bought it, there's a good chance a truck brought it! Alberta Pork is saluting all drivers during National Trucking Week. Thanks to their contributions, Canadian pig and pork supply lines form an intact value chain by moving animals and meat to market. Alberta Pork's Quality Assurance and Production Team offers Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) training free-of-charge for registered Alberta pork producers who want to haul hogs. The team also provides additional inform...ation on updated Canadian humane transport regulations for livestock that came into effect in February 2020. Looking for certification or information? Email [email protected] or phone 1-877-247-PORK (7675). Last week, Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC), in collaboration with Alberta Pork, offered a free webinar on livestock transport regulations. AFAC is collaborating with Alberta Beef to deliver another webinar next week on Tues., Sep. 22. Register now: https://buff.ly/2ZA3puU

Canada’s pork producers have been thinking a lot about prevention over the last three years since African Swine Fever (ASF) started to have a major impact around the world. The consequences of an ASF detection in Canada would be devastating. If ASF is detected, several things will happen almost at once, with the impacts felt immediately. If we are lucky, the borders will start to open in months, and recovery will be able to start, but it will take years before Canada recover...s. That is why Canada’s pork producers are calling on the government to use Budget 2020 to invest $50 million over three years in a seven-point pork pandemic prevention plan. Canadians now know why prevention is worth so much. Pork producers hope that the government hasn’t forgotten this lesson when it comes to ASF.

African Swine Fever (ASF) and environmental disasters have contributed to an enormous demand for protein in China by causing a large reduction of the country's pig herd. For meat processors, trade volume and value have tripled in the past two years, as China looks to fill the gap with any kind of meat, seafood or alternatives available. The nutritional void is so great that practically any combination of proteins produced domestically or imported from across the world could p...otentially meet only half of the country's total needs to feed its 1.4 billion citizens. While reports are conflicting regarding the Chinese domestic pig herd's recovery, opportunity remains huge for pork exporters in Canada and elsewhere, but that window could shut quickly if the herd size rebounds suddenly. With ASF recently discovered in Germany, additional space may present itself now that China has banned German pork imports. The world market is hungry and willing to pay top dollar for Canadian pork, but not everyone is reaping the rewards equitably. Canadian processing facilities are operating under-capacity, as large farms continue to curtail production due to negative margins. With the laws of supply and demand flipped upside-down, the entire Canadian pork value chain could be experiencing major growth, as in certain countries, rather than unfortunate stagnation. We are becoming less competitive as time goes on, as a result of needlessly punitive high-level decision-making regarding hog pricing.

"'It’s clear that many Canadians' food habits remain changed, and we predict they will stay changed due to the severity and length of COVID concerns,' CEO Michael Medline said on a conference call to discuss the results Thursday." Canadian meat processors and grocers continue to enjoy a profit surge due to COVID-19, along with other favourable market and pricing conditions. Canadian farmers, meanwhile, have not been given a slice of the same pie, and consumers today are payi...ng 20% more for the same meat they bought at this time last year. You can read more about the home cooking trend in the Summer 2020 edition of the Canadian Hog Journal, published in July, and you can read more about COVID-19's impact on meat retail in the Fall 2020 edition, published next month.

"Federal Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has named Ontario MP Lianne Rood as agriculture critic. She represents Lambton-Kent-Middlesex and replaces John Barlow from Alberta... "Rood has a varied background that includes politics and small business as well as farming. She grew up on a 1,000-acre vegetable farm, obtained a degree in criminology and sociology, and worked for the Stephen Harper government for six years." John Barlow was a strong advocate for our sector and made ...a point of attending Alberta Pork's 50th anniversary celebration last fall to speak with producers and industry partners. Let's hope Lianne Rood can provide the same show of support! The Canadian pork industry requires strong leadership in Ottawa.

"With pork producers fighting to stay afloat but government unwilling to step in, industry leaders have come up with a new pitch: Instead of making it easier to get assistance, have AgriStability pay out more when things are really bad... "Few farmers have been hit as hard by the pandemic as hog producers as prices have plummeted during the summer season when they normally make their money for the year. Instead of making $40 to $50 per hog, they are losing upwards of $20 a head this year... "Without reform to AgriStability, hog producers will start to leave the sector."

"The old financial adage of 'buy low, sell high' proved to be solid advice in 1982 when it came to the purchase of pigs." Is another hog price surge following negative margins around the corner? It's hard to be optimistic, as farmers today are losing tens of dollars on every pig, similar to the situation just before the 1982 spike in price.... If shared value solutions are not acted upon soon, producers will continue to exit the industry.

Happy Labour Day weekend from the Canadian Hog Journal! Farmers and truckers along with processing, grocery, restaurant and food bank workers continue performing essential services to feed Canadians. Take the chance to rest and relax this weekend, and appreciate all the important work you have done for our industry and country. You deserve it!... The Fall 2020 edition of the Canadian Hog Journal will be published next month, featuring an update on producer-packer shared value concerns, an exploration of marketing power, an overview of African Swine Fever preparedness, coverage of pro-trucker rallies, COVID-19's impact on meat retail, industry news, research and more! Check out the Summer 2020 edition (published in July) if you haven't already: https://buff.ly/3fahtBa