January 19, 2004

 

 

Canada Set To Emerge As Significant Global Pork Player

 

Canada is set to become one of the leading pork producers in the world, a manager of an international pork company said.

 

Jordi Masbernat, manager for PIC in southern Europe, stated that Canada poses a serious threat to global pork producers as it is one of the few countries with an abundance of land, high quality standards and plenty of feed.

 

"If you ask me what the country of the future will be, it is Canada," he told the Alberta Pork annual meeting. "I am sure you will be the winner."

 

In the Netherlands there are 466 people and 309 pigs per sq. kilometre and no room to grow. With wide-open spaces and few people in rural areas, Canada is ideal for hog production, said Masbernat, who is based in Spain.

 

"I believe you are the future player."

 

Pork is the world's most widely eaten meat, with 72.2 million sows on the planet.

 

However, only 26 million of them are technified sows, which is what Masbernat calls sows that are not backyard animals and whose offspring are able to move around the world.

 

That demand for pork will continue to grow if developing countries have more money.

 

"Protein is limited to the money in the pocket. Where is the money is where is the consumption."

 

Masbernat predicted that the European Union and Canada will become the most important pork exporters in the next 10 years, together exporting 60 percent of the world's pork.

 

The next biggest players are the United States and Brazil.

 

Japan and China will be the biggest buyers of that product, he said.