The Canadian Pork Council is preparing for disaster if African Swine Fever should ever break out in Canada.
And among those plans is what to do with all the pork that could no longer be exported because nations around the world would ban pork from Canada.
About 70 per cent of Canadian pork is exported.
“Animal health is vital to a strong pork industry in Canada and animal disease is a possibility that we have to contend with. The pork industry and its government partners are working in close collaboration non only to prevent such an eventuality but also prepare for a disease outbreak,” said Rick Bergmann of Manitoba who is chairman the Canadian Pork Council.
The council, meeting in Ottawa this week, also talked about the loss of the Chinese market due to cheating on export certificates.
The Council celebrated the tenth anniversary of the opening of a marketing office in Japan by Canada Pork International. Sales to Japan have increased from about $865 million in 2009 to about $1.3 billion last year.
The Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement helped, but this fall the U.S. negotiated a similar deal for its pork exports to Japan.
