Application forms for a new Hog Farm Transition Program, announced in August as part of a comprehensive federal restructuring plan for the Canadian pork industry, were made available beginning yesterday.

The 75 million dollar program provides incentives for producers to idle their hog production facilities for a minimum period of years.

Sask Pork industry and policy analysis manager Mark Ferguson encourages producers interested in participating to register as quickly as possible.

Mark Ferguson-Saskatchewan Pork Development Board

If a producer wants to participate they have to first register with the program and obtain a registration number.

Once you've registered the first tender is going to occur on 28 October.

That's when they will open up the first round of bids and look at them.

Producers have the opportunity to set their price for exiting the industry or idling their barns for three years so at this point we can't estimate exactly how many hogs or sows will be depopulated at this point under the program.

But as a producer putting in a bid you get to name your number so that's an advantage because you might get, in some cases, more money than if the government had simply set a rate for how many dollars an animal they want you to take out.

Mr Ferguson stresses bids must be received before 28 October to be considered in the first round.

He notes there will be multiple opportunities to submit bids and, after each round, the Canadian Pork Council will publish the results to give producers bidding in subsequent rounds a better idea of what bids might be accepted.