Pork Council to Investigate Eastern Manitoba Pork Processing Plant Feasibility

CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 1595. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.
calendar icon 7 September 2004
clock icon 3 minute read

Farm-Scape, Episode 1595

Manitoba Pork Council plans to launch a study this fall to examine the feasibility of establishing a pork processing plant in eastern Manitoba.

The US Department of Commerce and the US international trade commission are currently investigating allegations that subsidized Canadian hogs are being dumped into the US. In hopes of reducing the Canadian swine industry's dependence on US packing capacity Manitoba Pork Council plans to explore the feasibility of locating a pork processing plant in the eastern part of the province.

Council Chair Karl Kynoch says the feeling is that an eastern Manitoba processing plant would reduce the flow of slaughter hogs to the US, reducing the risk of exposure to potential future trade disruptions or barriers to foreign markets.

"I think one thing, the hog industry needs to look at the cattle industry. If there's a lesson to be learned there it's that we need to be a little less reliant on that US border.

What we need to do, hopefully, is create more packing capacity in Canada. The countervail duty, as you've heard, we've pretty much won the countervail side but we're still fighting on the antidumping side.

This is the type of action that we get complaints from the Americans that there's too many hogs coming down across the border. If we can build another plant here we're going to put a lot of value added into our province here.

There's been talk the odd time of possibly running a joint plant for cattle and hogs but I think there's too much difference in equipment there. Where I represent the hog industry, we need to look at expanding our packing industry before we have a serious situation at the border."

Kynoch says, in addition to helping ease the threat of US trade action, increased finishing and processing capacity in Manitoba would provide additional competition which would be of benefit producers and bring more value added economic benefits such as jobs.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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