Optimism within Western Canadian Swine Industry

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Latest Pig Industry News

Monday, September 28, 2009

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Optimism within Western Canadian Swine Industry

CANADA - A livestock feed consultant with Winnipeg based Finer Feeds reports optimism is growing within western Canada's swine industry as producers start to see light at the end of the tunnel, writes Bruce Cochrane.

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Canadian pork producers have faced over three years of losses due to factors which have included an over-supply of live hogs, high feed costs, the strong value of the Canadian dollar and the global economic situation.

On Friday pork producers gathered in Rosetown, Saskatchewan to examine some of the positive aspects of pork production.

Meeting organizer Daryl Olson notes the agriculture minister from the Russian Federation will visit Saskatchewan in November to talk about importing more Canadian pork into Russia, there's a cull program planned for Canada and US producers are being encouraged to reduce their production.

Daryl Olson-Finer Feeds

Optimism is growing.

They can see that there's going to be an upswing.

History has shown that there's always a pendulum effect, that we'll have a down-turn and then it'll have a gradual up-turn.

I think through the talks that we had that that was brought out to everybody and it showed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

We can see probably not in the next quarter or two but probably in the first quarter of next year that there will be, I believe, a price increase.

With the soy markets going down, the corn going down the producers are able to buy feed at less cost.

Also what it has done is, through these tough times, the producer has had to look at how to make their operations lean.

This happened in the grain industry.

Everyone had to go look at their operations and find a more efficient way.

Now, when the prices go up in the hog industry, they can still have these lean practices and make more money.

Mr Olson says Canada produces the best pork in the world and he suggests producers and processors need to work together with government to promote that product.

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