Farm-Scape is sponsored by Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.

Farm-Scape, Episode 1486

Manitoba Pork Council has determined it will be able to cover its share of the costs associated with fighting the latest US trade action against imports of Canadian live hogs without increasing the producer levy.

Petitions filed by the National Pork Producers Council with the US Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission allege unfairly subsided Canadian hogs are being dumped into the US depressing US prices.

The complaint calls for duties ranging from five to 20 percent on live Canadian hogs entering the US to offset harm caused to American producers.

Pork Council Chair Karl Kynoch says costs expected to be incurred during 2004 in defending against the challenge will be covered from existing budget.

"The board has reviewed our expenditures and we've done some estimates on what this antidumping and countervail could cost us.

We feel fairly comfortable that we have enough assets on hand right now to manage this for the next year. We had a small emergency fund set up. I think we'll be using that.

We had a little bit of free cash sitting and we were sitting in a very comfortable position so we're quite comfortable that we'll be able to manage this for the first year but we will definitely have to reevaluate the situation next fall.

We'll have a better idea of our commitments at that time."

Kynoch says, while funding for key programs will be maintained, a few that had been planned for this year have been moved to the back burner to ensure adequate resources are available to cover the anticipated legal fees.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.