Evidence of meeting #43 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was livestock.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Great. I think the committee might be....
I'm just visiting the committee, so I'm not sure I can ask for it, but I will anyway. Perhaps you could forward that to me.
Mr. Bergmann, I appreciate your comments on Pork International. You're marketing $3.2 billion worth of product in a year. CETA, we're hoping with some expectation, is coming along. We hope that by year's end we would have something.
Do you have some expectation of what that might do for your exports, beyond the $3.2 billion?
First Vice-President, Canadian Pork Council
To associate a number like that.... I don't have it in my head right now, but maybe Jean-Guy would have that.
I know it is very significant. As you know, because of the opportunity, it is very large.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
I think one of the things we're finding is that it's the specialty products mainly that the EU would be using from the pork industry.
Conservative
Bev Shipley Conservative Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, ON
Okay.
You also made a comment that domestic consumption is down 16%, which I think is a concerning number to the industry. We're working to improve the exports to outside.
I wonder if you can give me some idea of a strategy that is in place to increase the domestic use of pork. It's always important to have international markets, but the main one should be your own first. When I hear those types of reductions, I wonder if there is a strategy in place of promotion, of how to market and increase those consumption rates within Canada.
First Vice-President, Canadian Pork Council
I agree with your comments that if we're world renowned we'd better be popular back home as well. So that's one of the things we're working on through a domestic marketing committee that has been struck. The process there is to kind of mimic what CPI has done around the world and implement some of that into our domestic marketplace to try to gain market share back from some of the other countries that have been importing.
Also, it's not only about recognition of pork being a healthy product to consume, but also to make people aware of the significant efforts pork producers have gone through to ensure the product is safe and of a high quality.
In regard to the transportation that was mentioned earlier on—
Conservative
First Vice-President, Canadian Pork Council
—truckers in the pork world, if they're hauling to a federal plant, do go through a trucking quality assurance program, which is another thing our industry does to ensure our consumers recognize that throughout the whole chain there is a lot of quality.
Conservative
NDP
Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC
I may hand it over, but I'll do a couple of....
Just before we get going, I know Larry mentioned the extremists. I think most Canadians would probably want animals to be treated in a humane way. I think if supermarkets are reacting there must be a reaction among the consumers; otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. We can debate that at some point in time.
I just have a specific question in regard to transport times. Anybody can weigh in on this. As far as I know, in Canada, pigs, horses, and poultry can be transported for up to 36 hours without food, water, or being unloaded to rest. Cattle, sheep, and goats can be transported for up to 52 hours. In Europe, most species are not permitted to be transported for more than 8 hours.
I'd just like some comments. Is that realistic for Canada? Should there be a compromise? I know we've been looking to try to change that.
Maybe we could start with you, Mr. Laskowski.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
That's going to have to be your only question, Alex, so we'll turn it over to....
The bells are—
Senior Vice-President, Canadian Trucking Alliance
We work within the hours of service provisions and the provisions of our sector.
In terms of comparing Europe to Canada on transportation and distances, the distances to market are far different. Therefore, the hours of service reflect that. But the animal welfare codes are different too, so the drivers are trained to deal with the realities of hours of service provisions and the distances between pickup and market delivery.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Larry Miller
Okay, thank you very much.
We have bells going, for votes.
I thank all of you for joining us here, and by video, Mr. Laycraft and Mr. Masswohl, thank you very much.
The witnesses may leave.
In order to cover the expenses, I will read a motion, and would somebody move it?
That, the Committee undertake a study on the losses in honey bee colonies; and that it hold one (1) meeting on this study...to hear from witnesses.
So moved by Mr. Valeriote.
(Motion agreed to)
Thank you.
Meeting adjourned.
