April 30, 2013

North American pork producers meet to discuss common concerns, interest

The Canadian Pork Council (CPC) hosted a meeting of North American pork industry leaders, finding several areas of common interest and concern. 

The meeting took place in Niagara Falls, Canada, where representatives of the CPC met with their counterparts from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the Mexican pork producer organisation, the Confederación de Porcicultores Mexicanos.

"It is quite clear to me from our discussions that pork farmers from all across North America share the same abiding commitment to providing consumers a nutritious, safe and affordable food supply", said Jean-Guy Vincent, Chair of the CPC.  "Pork producers will continue to adapt to consumer demands but this must occur in partnership with the entire value chain and government."

"Recent announcements from a wide array of companies engaged in the North American pork supply chain, outlining new purchasing and sourcing requirements have been made without adequate discussions on the repercussions at the farm level."

The Mexican, US and Canadian producer representatives also discussed several others areas of common interest including the potential for Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to open up additional export opportunities for the North American pork industry, a desire for the US to come into compliance with WTO rulings on Country-of-Origin Labelling (COOL) and to thus avoid retaliatory actions by Canada and Mexico, and the need for science-based food safety and animal health regulations that avoid unnecessary disruptions to trade.

The next meeting will take place in the fall of 2013 and be hosted by the National Pork Producers Council. The CPC serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada.  A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, our organisation's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.