Quebec Pork Sector Receives Government Support to Improve Its Performance in Two Areas of Activity

QUÉBEC, June 8, 2017 /CNW/ - Pork is Quebec's top agricultural export commodity, with the province leading the country in pork exports. Parliamentary Secretary Jean-Claude Poissant, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay, today announced close to $1.4 million in financial assistance for Quebec's pork sector.

A total of $1.2 million is being provided by the federal and provincial governments through a contribution agreement signed under AgriRisk Initiatives, a program stemming from the Growing Forward 2 policy framework. It will be used to improve the Market Risk Management Service (SGRM), which was launched in 2000 by the Éleveurs de porcs du Québec (ÉPQ) to help producers handle large price fluctuations without having to individually secure the financing required by financial markets.

A further federal investment of $198,033, provided through the AgriInnovation program, will enable the Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ) to carry out a project aimed at assessing the impact of a precision feeding system on growth performance, productivity and feed costs in group-housed gestating sows.

These investments are part of the federal government's plan to help farmers manage risk and invest in agricultural science in order to help create new jobs and grow Canada's agricultural sector.

Quotes

"As farmers ourselves, the Minister and I are proud to support the Éleveurs de porcs du Québec and the Centre de développement du porc du Québec in their efforts to respectively offer pork producers a market risk management tool that meets their expectations, and a precision feeding system for gestating sows, in order to help the pork sector grow and prosper."
- Jean-Claude Poissant, Parliamentary Secretary of Agriculture and Agri-Food

"This improvement will make the Market Risk Management Service a better-adapted tool. It will help pork producers access futures markets more easily. This project aligns with the government's commitment to giving producers the opportunity to get involved in risk management for their own businesses."
- Laurent Lessard, Quebec Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

"In a context where Quebec hog producers are facing significant market fluctuations, the SGRM tool improves the accessibility of hedging markets and promotes better risk management for hog businesses. Les Éleveurs de porcs du Québec are pleased with the financial contribution of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec, which will improve the economic performance of businesses and the quality of services offered to producers."
- David Boissonneault, Chair, Éleveurs de porcs du Québec

"As a centre of expertise in pork production that disseminates and transfers knowledge, the CDPQ will provide Canadian pork producers with concrete, relevant answers on the effects of precision feeding on gestating sows and more specifically on its economic impact and effects on sow performance. Furthermore, given the new reality of housing sows in groups, which involves buying new equipment, the results of this project will help producers make decisions on what type of feeding system they should adopt."
- Normand Martineau, President, CDPQ

Quick Facts

• The AgriRisk Initiatives (ARI) program and the AgriInnovation Program (AIP) are part of Growing Forward 2, a five-year (2013-2018) policy framework for Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector that represents a $3-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments.
• Improving the SGRM will give more producers an opportunity to get directly involved in risk management for their own businesses via futures markets. Tools, training and guidance will be provided to producers by the ÉPQ, which manages the SGRM and the financial resources required for deferred delivery contract transactions.
• As part of the CDPQ project, simulations will be conducted to assess the economic and practical impact of various feeding strategies. The selected strategy will be applied to a commercial herd.

Additional Links

• Growing Forward 2 - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Cost-shared programs (French only) - Quebec
• AgriInnovation - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

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SOURCE Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

For further information: Guy Gallant, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, 613-773-1059; Media Relations, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, 613-773-7972, 1-866-345-7972