Canadian Pork Council Chair to Step Down
CANADA - Jean-Guy Vincent will step down as Chair of the Canadian Pork Council’s (CPC) Board of Directors. Mr Vincent was appointed by the CPC's Québec member organization to join the national board in 2004 and has held many positions within the CPC over the past decade.Jean-Guy has been consistently selected by his peers on the CPC’s board of directors to serve in senior officer capacities up to the position of CPC Chair where he has served for the past three years.
"My term as CPC’s Chairman has come to a close. I believe it is prudent to take a moment to reflect on the past in order to focus on 2015 and the future. First, I would like to take this opportunity to thank each one of my colleagues for allowing me to serve as your Chairman for the past three years. It has been my honour and pleasure to work on behalf of producers from coast to coast and to work with you to further strengthen and grow the pork industry," said Mr Vincent.
"Trade agreements remain a key priority for our industry and the implementation on January 1 of the Canada-Korea FTA as well as the finalisation of the Canada-European Union economic and trade agreement will benefit our industry moving forward. US Country of Origin Labelling, however, continues to cost the industry time and money as the US prolongs the WTO dispute by its most recent appeal.
"While our industry relies on exports for over 70 per cent of our production, a number of the more significant markets are unstable. Russia is an important customer but the repeated interruptions in this market makes us vulnerable. Our industry will have to overcome future market disruptions and challenges but in the near term we must focus efforts to increase market share in stable markets such as Japan, Korea and other emerging markets in Asia.
"Maintaining our industry’s health status is vital and key to market access. An excellent health status begins at the farm level by implementing and following a strong biosecurity plan. Fortunately, industry leaders around the CPC table have developed the tools and knowledge to limit the spread of a virus and prevent its introduction into a barn. As we have seen with the rapid spread of PEDv in the United States, the financial consequences can be devastating. National and provincial organisations have their own responsibility in disease management and a co-ordination through the CPC will serve our membership well by increased efficiency and elimination of unnecessary duplication.
"The Canadian pork industry is recognised throughout the world as providing consumers a safe and nutritious quality product. The world class Canadian pork brand is the result of producers’ efforts and the flexibility of our industry to adapt to consumer demands. The CPC has been very proactive by setting standards that guarantee a production adapted to international markets.
"Biosecurity standards at the farm, CQA and animal care programs and traceability reassure our customers around the world and differentiate our product. I believe strongly that the pork sector has the tools to be prosperous, increase market access and take advantage of growing demand. I wish every success to the members of the new Board of Directors. They have skills to represent the producers and to make the right decisions. It is a great responsibility but they have the knowledge and the ability to do so."