Friday, November 6, 2020

Pork agency cleared by Ottawa


After years of waiting, the federal government has finally approved the Canadian pork industry’s request to establish an agency to collect fees for research and promotion.

Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency’s role will be to develop and implement promotional and research activities.

The agency will help the pork industry to expand markets in Canada and abroad and will also help to “mitigate and manage the potential risks of African swine fever by investing in research that could boost on-farm biosecurity and surveillance.”

The agency falls under the jurisdiction of the Farm Products Council of Canada which also oversees a similar national checkoff program for beef. 

The council held hearings on the pork council proposal years ago and its panel issued a report in 2016 recommending government approval.

It also oversees national marketing boards for the poultry industry.