Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada has announced $6 million will be invested in Canada Pork International (CPI) to focus on strengthening, diversifying and growing of Canada’s pork exports.
It will help to boost the awareness of the industry in the priority international markets.
Why it matters: A halt to exports to China has made finding other markets for Canadian pork more important.
“This funding will support promotion of world class pork in Asia, Europe and here in North America through activities that include market research, trade-show exhibits, marketing in high value markets and growing markets for chilled pork,” says Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Read Also
U.S. livestock: Cattle strength continues
Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger on Friday, hitting fresh highs to end the week.
CPI is the export promotion market development agency of the Canadian pork industry. It is a joint initiative of the Canadian Meat Council, and the Canadian Pork Council.
“(CPI) is a key partner in us driving forward with the economics of pork and the contributions internationally that this industry can bring for all Canadians,” says Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph.
The project is funded through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s Agri-Marketing Program, a five-year $3 billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to help strengthen the agriculture and agri-food sector.
With exports of $3.9 billion last year, Canada is ranked third in exports of pork and the project is working to build on this success.
“This agreement has been essential to the great success of the Verified Canadian Pork branding strategy in Japan and we are thrilled with the opportunity to continue our brand efforts in Japan and other markets,” says Martin Lavoie, president and CEO of Canada Pork International.
China halted the import of Canadian meat products following the discovery of “bogus” export certificates – the government is continuing to work to rebuild the trust of the Chinese market, although there’s concern that the Chinese move is politically motivated.
“We have already shared with them some initial measures to strengthen the system to reassure them and hopefully have the markets re-opening as soon as possible, having these regular conversations still makes me hopeful that we will have the market for meat, especially pork but also beef, re-open as soon as possible,” says Bibeau.
Ontario and Canadian pork industries rely heavily on exports, so having funding to boost the profile and marketing of that product is beneficial, says Eric Schwindt, Ontario Pork Chairman.
“With today’s investment of $6 million I’m confident that Canada’s pork industry can capture exciting new opportunities and continue to be a pillar of Canadian economy,” says Bibeau.
