Originally scheduled for Wednesday (Oct. 28), the deadline for the first tender under the federal Hog Farm Transition Program has been moved to Nov. 4.
All bids received by 2 p.m. EST on that date will be included in that date’s tender, according to the Canadian Pork Council, which administers the program.
The move “will ensure that the bulk of registrations received by Oct. 23 will be processed, allowing more producers to participate in the first tender,” the council said in a release Tuesday.
Many of the registration forms submitted to date need more information, thus delaying the approval process, the council said.
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Furthermore, even with the extended deadline, not all producers who’ve submitted registrations so far will be eligible for the first tender, the council warned. “Some registrations require considerable follow-up with producers which may not be completed prior to the new deadline.”
For those who don’t take part in the first tender or are unsuccessful with their bids, a second tender will occur shortly afterward, the council said, and subsequent tenders will be held until the funds for the program have been exhausted or the program terminated.
Transition program funds are being distributed based on a tendering process that allows producers to bid for the amount of funding they need to take their barns out of operation for at least three years.
The transition program is retroactive to April 1, so hog farmers who depopulated their barns before applying for the program may still be eligible.
For further information the council operates a producer hotline at 1-888-368-4023 from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
