Ontario Pork welcomes news of renewed trade with China

Thursday, February 25, 2010

by BRIAN LOCKHART

The Chinese market is again open to Canadian pork producers after Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada successfully secured a certification to allow pork imports to China. And Ontario Pork chair Wilma Jeffray says, “It’s the resumption of trade with a key market for Canadian pork.”

The Asian nation had banned pork products from H1N1 affected countries in the spring of 2009. Despite efforts to resume the trade, one expert in the field says the chances of North America becoming a major exporter of pork to China are “slim.”

Dr. Dale Henderickson, a swine veterinarian from Indiana, says China is making a concerted effort to produce enough pork to feed its citizens and is encouraging the industry through subsidies and tax breaks for small farming operations.

Hendrickson was a guest speaker at last week’s Southwestern Ontario Pork Conference. But Jeffray says the huge population of the Pacific Rim nation will still require products from outside of its borders.

“It is true that the government (of China) is supporting pork production growth but at the same time there is demand for the product and it has to come from somewhere. Canada Pork International has identified it as a key market and we are definitely focused on being there,” she says.

The Canadian pork industry took a serious hit in 2009 when the ban was put into effect seeing exports drop from 43,000 metric tons in 2007 to only 26,000 in 2009 even though it has been proven that the H1N1 virus had no connection to pork.

According to the AAFG, the Chinese market for Canadian pork was valued around $45 million in 2008. The negotiations to renew trade was based on recognized standards by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). “When our government works to open and expand markets for Canadian producers around the world we always point to the clear OIE consensus that Canadian pork and beef is safe,” said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz through an AAFC news release.

Although Jeffray says the ban should never have been imposed, Ontario Pork is happy to be back in business with China. “It takes a while for the bureaucratic mechanisms to work their way through all this and the Canadian government has persisted and has re-opened that market for Canadian pork.” BF