| Alberta pork industry crisis rally sends message to government, public Calgary, Alta.,
July 10, 2009. Pork producers and
industry supporters from across Alberta who
gathered in Calgary
on Friday, July 10 for an industry crisis rally, say they believe their message
is being heard and that they will keep up the pressure for immediate assistance
from government for producers.
“We are here in the midst of
the Calgary Stampede, which has built a worldwide reputation as the greatest
outdoor show on earth based on its agricultural heritage,” says pork producer
spokesperson John Middel. “Ironically, we may be seeing the end of a core part
of those agricultural roots, our pork industry.”
Middel, one of several
producer and industry speakers on the day, says governments need to hear that
producers need help now. “We cannot wait three months. Producers have been hit
with a combination of devastating factors, all beyond their control. They
include a high Canadian dollar and high feed grain prices, the H1N1 flu
outbreak which affected trade and now a drought forcing feed grain prices up
further.”
The impact of losing pork
producers will be broad, says Middel. It is an industry crisis with major
economic and consumer food supply implications.
Pork production is a true
value-added industry, supporting critically important jobs and economic
benefits across the country. “The grain we buy from grain producers is
processed here rather than being shipped out of the country. We have processors
such as Olymel, the largest employer in Red
Deer. If there are no pigs there is no packing plant.
The companies that provide us with services, construction companies that build
and renovate facilities, and our banking industry will all suffer. The hundreds
of people we employ on farms, who live and spend their money in these rural
communities, will be lost.
“Some people may say if
producers can’t make it on their own they shouldn’t be in business. But these
producers have invested their lives in their operations to produce quality pork
and the despair they are feeling is real. I don’t think that as a nation and as
a province, we want to turn our backs on these Canadian food providers.”
Consumers’ food supply will
also be affected, says Middel. “Consumers have told us in this
crisis that they
value Alberta’s
pork production, that they want to continue to buy local food.
We havebuilt
some of the highest production and safety standards in the world. All of that
will be lost if producers are forced out of production and pork is imported
from other countries.”
Representatives of both
provincial and federal governments on hand expressed their support for the pork
industry, acknowledged recent proposals made by the pork industry and indicated
that their people are working to find solutions for the industry across the
country.
Approximately 2,400 pork on
a bun meals were served. Another 600 portions were provided to the Mustard Seed
Ministry in Calgary.
Alberta Pork is the
association representing pork producers in the province. Those numbers have
dropped to fewer than 450 producers today from 1,500 five years ago. For more information
contact:
Alberta Pork
Ph: (780) 474-8288
Web:
www.albertapork.com
John
Middel
Cell
(403) 844-6790
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