Manitoba Pork has stopped offering contracts, but an employee in the sales department of Ontario Pork said they are still being offered. He referred inquiries to his supervisor who for two days has not responded to telephone calls seeking information.
But Ontario Pork chair Tara Terpstra told Meatingplace Magazine in the United States that many producers are concerned about whether contracts will be renewed.
Ontario and Manitoba ship thousands of weaner pigs to U.S. farms where they are grown out to market weight.
Ontario also depends on U.S. packers to buy the hogs that can’t find space at Ontario’s packing plants which are working at capacity.
And Canadian meat packers, including further processors, count on U.S. sales.
Canada’s pork industry exports 70 per cent of its hog production and the U.S. is the main market.
