If there’s demand for pork, Canada’s industry can step up to the plate

Ottawa – As long as there’s market access, Canada’s pork producers are ready to meet demand, says the Canadian Pork Council (CPC).

The CPC recently released the 2016 Canadian pork export statistics and says the results show Canada’s pork industry can fill global demand – when favourable terms of access to foreign markets exist.

The CPC says it is a strong advocate for pursuing new or expanding trade agreements to increase market access or prevent deterioration in Canada’s competitive position in a market.

“Pork producers understand that market access is of paramount importance to the sustainability of the country and the hog industry,” says Rick Bergmann, CPC chair.

“The development of international market opportunities like Japan and China creates Canadian jobs across the country, attracts investment and contributes to growing the economy.”

The CPC’s statistics show that in 2016, the pork industry exported 1.246 million tons of pork valued at $3.8 billion to over 100 counties.

The U.S., China and Japan remain Canada’s top three pork export markets in both volume and value. Japan continued as a high valued market worth $1.07 billion for Canadian pork.

Demand for Canadian pork in the Chinese market increased by 144 per cent in 2016. Canada shipped approximately 12,500 forty-foot shipping containers filled with 312,000 tonnes of Canadian pork across the pacific to China. The $580 million in sales of Canadian pork to China is an increase of 157 per cent.

“Canadian hog producers, pork processors and meat traders and the many other companies in Canada that provide inputs and services to our industry have a very strong interest in Canada aggressively pursuing further progress toward reducing agri-food trade barriers and trade-distorting subsidies, and achieving additional market access,” adds Bergmann.

Canada’s hog and pork industry generates $13.1 billion in economic activity and creates 31,000 on-farm jobs.

Another 69,000 Canadians rely on the pork sector for their livelihoods. The CPC says well over 70 per cent of the industry’s output is now exported, with pork and pork products shipped to almost 100 countries.