April 16, 2007

Canadian pork industry urges government to help on competitiveness issues

The Canadian pork sector is urging the federal government to immediately address short- and long-term competitiveness issues in facing the problems currently besieging the pork and processing sectors.

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC), Canada Pork International (CPI) and the Canadian Meat Council (CMC), have submitted a letter to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Minister Chuck Strahl and other key minister, stressing the dire situation facing the export-dependent sector, which has taken a beating from a strong Canadian dollar and a dramatic rise in production input costs, including feed.

CPC President Clare Schlegel said the industry is not seeking for a hand-out but "real solutions for both now and the future to drastically improve our ability to compete globally with pork-exporting countries".

The industry associations also presented the federal government with their recommendations for change in a report entitled, "Canadian Pork Value Chain: Strengthening Our Competitiveness", that outlines the sector's short- and long-term challenges, and suggested steps for future success and growth.

CPI President Edouard Asnong said the document have emphasised five main areas such as costs, labour, innovation, risk management and exports to underline factors needed for the sector's competitiveness.

CPC is the national association representing the interests of Canada's hog producers while CPI is the export promotion agency of the Canadian pork industry.

On the other, CMC is the national association of federally inspected meat packers and processors.