Leaders in Canada’s pork sector are calling on the federal government to give perishable agriculture products the same consideration and protection as grain.
The call comes as a longshore workers’ strike at British Columbia’s West Coast ports nears its second week, blocking the shipment of Canadian meat and most other exports.
Canadian Pork Council (CPC) chair Rene Roy said in a release Friday that hog producers “are seeking (Transport Minister Omar Alghabra’s) assistance to ensure perishable agricultural products, and farmers, do not suffer undue hardship from this labour action.”
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Canada’s Labour Code specifies that longshore workers must continue to serve bulk grain vessels during such a work stoppage — although that requirement does not cover containerized traffic, which includes some pulse crops. A separate ad hoc agreement between the longshore workers’ union and port terminal management also allows longshore service for cruise ships during this strike.
“We believe a precedent already established for wheat is available to our agricultural industries,” Roy said Monday. “As representatives of Canada’s pork sector, we’re asking the minister to exercise his power as minister to ensure these products continue to move through all Canadian ports.”
In an interview Roy added that the CPC has been in communication with beef producers and other agricultural producers’ associations throughout the process.
Concerns are mainly over the meat’s perishability — and where it will end up if not shipped.
A majority of Canadian pork is exported to international markets, especially in Asia. Roy said this means that packers and distributors here in Canada will be left with an excess of meat at risk of going to waste.
“There are products that are already packed,” said Roy. “This is a real problem because it’s not frozen right now. It’s fresh.”
Many pork packers have limited storage capacity of their own, and “it’s really hard to find contracts really quickly to other countries in a really short period of time,” he said.
The CPC said in its release that unsold products will “create an environmental disposal challenge and lead to enormous waste and environmental damage — needlessly.”
Many Canadian pork processing plants set to close in the next few weeks could end up with a backlog of unsold meat products, which may lead to “millions of dollars in losses across agriculture very quickly,” according to the release.
These closures were largely a result of hardships faced by the sector in recent years, Roy said.
“The industry in general isn’t going through an easy period, both at the producer and at the processor level. We have experienced loss, financial loss in the last two years and this is one reason why we have seen closures.”
“We are we are requesting this from the government right now because it’s not the first time,” Roy said. “We have seen this happen in the past. Also, the strikes have affected us in the past.”
Roy said this call is not a sign that CPC does not support the strike itself, but a means to prevent widespread waste.
“We are not denying in any ways the right of workers to go on strike,” he said “It’s just that for perishable goods, we have to find a solution. It is not acceptable in our society to let go to waste such quantity of food.”
The B.C. Maritimes Employers Association, which represents port employers in labour talks, said in a separate release Monday that exports of other perishables via West Coast ports may also be in jeopardy.
Harvest season for major B.C. fruit exports “has just begun,” the BCMEA said, adding “up to 10 million pounds of blueberry exports are at risk, with Japan and South Korea as primary export destinations.”
Federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said Friday on Twitter that the BCMEA and ILWU Canada are “still working with mediators to reach a deal” and noted “government, industry and labour are all concerned about the consequences of this disruption.”
— Jonah Grignon reports for Glacier FarmMedia from Ottawa.
