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

Farm-Scape, Episode 1528

Canada's International Trade Minister says US allegations that unfairly subsidized Canadian hogs are being dumped into the US are without merit.

Petitions filed by American pork producers allege subsidized Canadian slaughter hogs and weanling pigs dumped into the US are lowering US prices and call for the implementation of countervail and anti dumping duties.

James Peterson says every program that's brought in is vetted from the point of view of whether it's going to be compliant with Canada's obligations under the WTO and NAFTA.

"We've gone through all of the charges that have levied against us by the Americans and we haven't seen anything new there.

These are things that have been raised before. We have worked very closely with the hog producers to ensure that we are going to defend these actions vigorously.

They keep coming back at us every four or five years with a spate of lawsuits. We will continue to work with the hog producers hand in hand in fighting these actions in the same way that we've fought the unfair charges brought against us by US softwood lumber producers and we're winning them and we are going to continue to fight them.

We certainly are contending and believe passionately that our hog producers are not being unfairly subsidized and that they are the most competitive in North America and we will oppose any efforts to stop their product going into the US".

Peterson says Canadian hog producers are fair traders who can compete with anybody in the world and they just want to get on with producing the best hogs in North America.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.