CPC Calls on American Hog Producers to Oppose US Antidumping Duties
CANADA - Farm-Scape: Episode 1623. Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork.Farm-Scape, Episode 1623
The Canadian Pork Council is calling on American pork producers who will be negatively affected by a US antidumping duty, which will be imposed on Canadian live hogs, to voice their concerns.
On Friday the US Commerce Department announced a preliminary 14.06 percent antidumping duty will be imposed on Canadian live swine exported into the US.
A final margin will be announced in February or March.
The US International Trade Commission will issue its injury determination in Mid-April and, if it finds no injury, the duty will be eliminated and bonds collected in the meantime will be refunded.
Canadian Pork Council President Clare Schlegel says far from being harmful, Canadian pigs are essential to the prosperity of the US industry.
"Weaner pigs and early weans go down there, they're fed US corn, they're purchased by US farmers, they're sold to US processors and processed as American pork and then exported around the world.
The weanlings, by number are between five and six million out of approximately 100 million marketed in the US.
Obviously you can see by the numbers that many US farmers have become dependent on the high health Canadian weaner pigs.
The numbers are relatively small but they do add value.
The slaughter hogs help to fill in the holes in US kill to keep their slaughter houses running at capacity.
The slaughter numbers have been within a few hundred thousand over the last six or seven years going up or down depending on individual situations so the number of exports of slaughter hogs has not gone up in the last number of years."
Schlegel says increasing the cost of moving Canadian pigs into the US will harm both Canadian and US producers.
He's urging those in the US who will be hurt by these increased costs to take their concerns to their organizations and urge them to end the action.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.