MBiz | November 2014

<< CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS

help get new hogs in our province at all. Right now, we’re short of production and our plants don’t have enough hogs to run at full capacity,” he says. “If these plants don’t run at full capacity, then they become uncompetitive with the U.S. plants and they can’t afford to pay the producers as much for the hogs, so it creates a real challenge.” And the impact will be felt most in Brandon, he adds. “It has the largest processing plant in Canada. There’s over 2,000 unionized jobs sitting in Brandon, and then you get all your spinoff jobs created by that plant. From that plant, bacon and hams go to Winnipeg to be processed in another plant there,” he says. “All of our further processing in Manitoba is being affected by government regulation.”

Manitoba Pork Council chair Karl Kynoch (left) welcomes CETA. Above, pigs enjoying the outdoors at Natural Raised Pork in Argyle. Photo courtesy of Ian Smith (Natural Raised Pork)

Despite the challenges, Manitoba pork producers give two hooves up to the European trade agreement. “The increase in access to the European market is 100% good. And no matter what amount of pork is produced, it creates more markets for the product. You have to have more markets just to keep the prices up and keep the product moving, so that’s extremely positive,” Kynoch says. “But at the same time, is that going to matter to us if we can’t actually produce the hogs in the province? We’ve got to get politics out of our business and get back to good common business sense.” ■

38 MBiz | November 2014