The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced the creation of the Canadian Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA), while at the annual general meeting of Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec. The PRA will support the competitiveness and sustainability of the pork sector by enabling the development and implementation of promotional and research activities.

Pork producers and processors are expected to benefit greatly from the Agency’s promotional and research activities, especially as producers cope with impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRA will allow producers to take full advantage of the increased market opportunities, both domestic and international. As a result of recent trade deals, producers have preferential access to two-thirds of the world market. The Agency will also help mitigate and manage the potential risks of African swine fever by investing in research activities that could boost on-farm biosecurity and surveillance.

The creation of a national levy system will underpin the PRA’s activities. Levies will also be collected on imported pork products, at a rate that is no more than the minimum levy paid by producers across the country. Similar agencies exist in other markets that have been successful, like the Canadian Beef Check-Off Agency that generates about $7.5 million each year towards funding initiatives that help beef producers expand their markets and increase sales.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Farm Products Council of Canada (FPCC) have been working closely with the Canadian Pork Council to help establish the PRA and ensure it provides long-term benefits for pork producers across the country.

Rick Bergmann, Chair of the Canadian Pork Council said, “Producers across Canada welcome the establishment of the Pork Promotion and Research Agency (PRA). The PRA will be an important vehicle for producers – it will help facilitate even greater collaboration across the value chain through increased research and promotion activities. In the long run, it will result in improving the long-term growth and competitiveness of the sector.”

Quick facts

• The Government continues to engage extensively with industry and federal, provincial and territorial governments to help implement the new Agency. For information about next steps, please contact the FPCC at [email protected].
• Comparing trade statistics to-date from 2019 to 2020, pork exports have increase by 17 percent in volume.
• In 2019, the Canadian pork industry exported $4 billion worth of pork to over 90 countries.
• There were 14 million hogs on 1 January 2019, on approximately 8,060 farms in Canada. Farm cash receipts from the sale of hogs in 2019 totalled $4.6 billion.
• The Québec pork industry employs 31,000 people and exports 70 percent of its pork production, which was valued at $1.81 billion in 2019.