Alberta Pork’s 51st annual general meeting (AGM) was hosted virtually on Nov. 26, 2020. In attendance were more than 100 participants – mostly registered Alberta hog farmers.
During the meeting, a resolution was put forth to explore the possibility of a single-desk hog marketing system for Alberta – similar to the arrangement in Quebec, where producers and processors share an equitable stake in the value of pigs:
“BE IT RESOLVED, that Alberta Pork pursue a single-desk selling system, similar to Quebec, and as presented at the Alberta Pork 2019 AGM, to give producers across Alberta the ability to obtain a fair price for their pigs that allows for profits over and above our cost of production, creating producer profitability and allowing for future growth of the industry in Alberta.”
The producers in attendance at the meeting passed the resolution. While the resolution is not binding, the Alberta Pork Board of Directors will consider a course of action.
Over the past five years, many Alberta hog farmers have been operating at a financial loss – in some cases, selling pigs for upwards of $50 less per head than it costs to raise them. On a full truck load of animals, shipped weekly to a federally inspected slaughter facility, that amounts to a loss of approximately $10,000 per load. The resulting disparity between meatpacking profits and pig production lost revenue is a major burden on farmers, who are left with few choices for fair hog marketing.
Owing to the long-standing, unresolved pricing situation and a lack of positive developments within the sector, Alberta hog farmers are now looking inward to new mechanisms that may provide better returns for the animals they work hard to raise year-round, feeding Canadians and customers abroad, while helping to generate a $24-billion economic impact nationally.
For questions about the AGM and resolution, please contact Darcy Fitzgerald, Executive Director, Alberta Pork by email at darcy.fitzgerald@albertapork.com or by phone at 780-491-3529, toll-free at 1-877-247-PORK (7675).
For more information on the recent AGM, see the video clips below.
Chair’s report:
Canadian Pork Excellence (CPE) resolution:
