The federal government is giving more than $1 million to the
Canadian Swine Exporters Association.
David Matthews, MP for the Woodstock area, made the
announcement on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz who was in China
announcing a trade deal that will open that market for bone-in Canadian beef
and live cattle.
The government said in a news release that “this investment will help
CSEA members increase awareness of the value and quality of Canadian swine by
participating in key international trade shows and leading targeted trade
missions.
“It
will also ensure that Canada remains a world leader in swine genetics,
particularly in attributes that improve meat quality, feed efficiency,
environmental issues, and biosecurity.”
Canada
is the third-largest pork exporter in the world, with sales of more than $3.6
billion to more than 100 countries worldwide.
Many
of the pigs come from southwestern Ontario and via Donaldson Swine of Tavistock.
Other
members of the association include Alliance Genetics Inc., Richard Stein-Stein
BMR Genetics Ltd., Great Canadian Swine Exports Inc., International Genetics
Ltd., Ontario Swine Improvement Inc., Proline Group (Canada) Inc. and Polar
Genetics (2012) Ltd., all of Ontario, and three Manitoba-based members, ADSGO
Trading Corp., Genesus Genetics and Designed Genetics Inc.
The
trade agreement between Canada and the European Union will significantly boost
trade and investment ties. Once fully implemented, this agreement will give
Canadian farmers yearly duty-free access for up to 80,000 tonnes of pork, the
news release noted.
This
money is drawn from the $341-million five-year AgriMarketing Program
administered by the federal agriculture department.
