The province's pork producers will soon have the right to sell their own hogs, bypassing a long-standing monopoly by the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board.

 

Canada's agriculture ministry has approved the change after years of debate and conflicting rulings by the Farm Products Marketing Commission and the Farm Products Appeal Tribunal.

 

Wilma Jeffray, chairperson of the Guelph-based marketing board commonly known as Ontario Pork, said the organisation did not oppose the change even though it will lose some of its marketing power.

 

Pork producers have been able to sell on contract for some time but had to work through the marketing board, he added.

 

After the change takes effect later this year, producers could still sell their hogs through the marketing board but will be free to sell directly to processors, avoiding a marketing fee and negotiating the best possible price for their hogs.

 

Ontario Pork represents about 2,300 farmers. The industry pumps about CAD4 billion (US$3.8 billion) into the provincial economy with most of the production in the counties surrounding London.

 

Jeffray could not predict how many producers would choose to market hogs on their own.

 

The industry has been through several difficult years because of poor prices and a slump in exports to the US. The number of producers is down almost 50% in the past decade.

 

However, the debate over the marketing practices is internal to the industry and is not related to free trade issues, she added.

 

Ontario Pork would continue to represent producers on broader issues such as research, consumer information and government representation.

 

The agriculture ministry has given the industry until December to work out details of the new marketing system.