CPC to be in Atlanta for TPP Negotiations

Ottawa - Canadian Pork Council will be in Atlanta, Georgia this week, along with members of the Canadian Agri-food Trade Alliance (CAFTA), representing our sector's interest in Canada's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have been ongoing for several years, with Canada's involvement since 2012. The CPC advocates that a signed agreement that includes Canada will help secure a bright future for our pork industry

"Canada must negotiate to be part of a TPP deal or risk becoming uncompetitive in several of our most valuable markets", stated Ontario producer and CPC's First Vice-Chair, Bill Wymenga."If Canada were left out, there would be a negative impact on the economic viability of the industry, resulting in cutbacks and, most likely, closures of Canadian pork producers as well as processing and exporting companies."

Canadian hog producers and the many companies in Canada that provide inputs and services to the industry have a major interest in Canada aggressively pursuing further reductions in agri-food trade barriers and achieving additional market access through initiatives like the TPP.

The Canadian pork industry's expectations are that by Canada being part of a TPP agreement, it achieves for our industry the following:

Canada's pork sector has experience with being without a trade with key markets in the case of South Korea when the United States, the European Union and other major competitors completed free trade deals well before Canada. The Canadian pork sector lost its traditional market share in Korea almost immediately and saw pork exports to that country fall by two-thirds (or $150 million) within just two years after the Korea-U.S. FTA went into effect. With the TPP, the Japanese market is several times larger for Canadian pork exports than South Korea ever was.

"The successful completion of the TPP can provide Canada with preferential access to a group of countries accounting for roughly 40% of the world economy," added Wymenga."We are excited by the possibilities this could present to our industry."
The CPC serves as the national voice for hog producers in Canada. A federation of nine provincial pork industry associations, the organization's purpose is to play a leadership role in achieving and maintaining a dynamic and prosperous Canadian pork sector.

Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.