Federal government invests in Canadian pork sector

Dec 06, 2016

Funding will help industry improve the quality of cuts offered to buyers

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

The Canadian federal government announced funding designed to help the pork sector use new imaging technology to improve the quality of cuts offered to domestic and international buyers.

Quebec’s Fonds de recherche et développement de la production porcine (FRDPP) will use nearly $1 million in funding create 3D images to map out desirable traits that are present in hogs.

Hogs determined to provide premium cuts of pork could be selected to populate future generations.

"Coop fédérée (that created FRDPP in 2006) values research and development in its pork value chain to develop new practices that meet industry requirements and constantly-evolving consumer needs as well,” Ghislain Gervais, president La Coop fédérée, said in a release. “We therefore welcome Agriculture and Agri-Food’s contribution to our technological innovation project in genetic selection.”

It’s estimated the imaging technology could raise the value of each hog by as much as $15 and the government is optimistic the investment will help Canada’s hog farmers remain competitive in global markets.

“The Government of Canada is committed to helping hog farmers compete internationally by offering the best pork cuts using the latest imaging technology,” Parliamentary Secretary Jean-Claude Poissant said in the release on behalf of Minister of Agriculture Lawrence MacAulay. “Producers will be able to selectively breed hogs with the most desirable characteristics, helping drive the sector forward as a leader in innovation, while improving profitability.”

Farms.com has reached out to the Canadian Pork Council for comment.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.