Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My presentation will be in French.
Good afternoon, my name is Jean-Guy Vincent. I am Chair of the Canadian Pork Council. I am a hog producer from Sainte-Séraphine, Quebec, and Chair of the Canadian Pork Council's Board of Directors. I produce over 25,000 hogs per year. I will be making the first part of the presentation, and the vice-chair, Rick Bergmann, will make the second one.
I would like to thank the members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for the invitation to appear before you this afternoon to discuss the animal products supply chain for red meat, and the Canadian hog industry.
As hog producers, we have several national organizations that are dedicated to delivering value. The Canadian Pork Council sets overall direction at the national level, operates programs and represents producers with the federal government and international bodies. CPC's directors are producers from across Canada and chosen to sit on CPC's board by their peers within their own province.
Canada Pork International promotes Canadian pork in international markets and is governed by a board of directors representing producers, processors and traders. The Canadian Swine Health Board addresses swine health and is comprised of producers, processors, genetics companies and veterinarians. Swine Innovation Pork, recruits the best Canadian scientists to study critical production and product issues, and is led primarily by producers.
Together, these organizations deliver programs and services that benefit producers directly on the farm and beyond the farm. They leverage producers' investments with other funding sources and generate significant benefits for producers and the industry.
Canadian Pork Council plays a lead role coordinating input from the industry and communicating with the federal government about the needs of producers. During tough years when the industry needed it, the federal government, CPC and industry cooperated to introduce significant programming for producers, including: emergency advances and related stays; the Cull Breeding Swine Program; the Hog Fund Transition Program; and the Hog Industry Loan Loss Reserve Program.
Despite the industry's downturn, the Canadian Pork Industry continues to be known for its production standards and high quality products. Global markets are demanding agriculture and food products that are safe, of high quality, and maintain established sound practices.
The industry recognizes the importance of establishing systems to ensure food safety, providing for animal welfare and traceability, and ensuring stringent biosecurity measures. We need to maintain an advantage over global competitors. It is essential to offer products that exceed expectations, are second to none, that stand out by their quality and add value to the final product.
The Canadian Quality Assurance Program or CQA is CPC's national HACCP-based program that is controlled by producers and is used with 95% of domestically processed pigs. It is a resource to manage input usage and reduces the potential costs of on-farm food safety incidents. Just one food safety program satisfies the requirements of all Canadian processors and retailers and creates a Canadian advantage in foreign markets. It avoids the costs and confusion of a multitude of customer-imposed requirements.
The Animal Care Assessment tool and the soon-to-be-revised code of practice gives the needed proof to gain and maintain customer confidence, domestically and internationally. Without animal care standards, Canadian products will be challenged in key markets, including here in Canada.
The hog industry takes disease prevention very seriously. A public investment managed by Canadian Swine Health Board will result in 95% of production having the tools and training to implement a national standard of biosecurity. This will safeguard pork producer operations, lower the risk of disease incidents and lower the overall cost of production.
Additional investments will result in key sectors, such as transportation, being brought within the standard. This will further reduce on-farm risks and strengthen the bottom line. The CSHB works with veterinarians and a network of animal health agencies, creating a national system of surveillance, with real-time reporting and analysis. When disease outbreaks occur, actions will be taken to limit the damages of catastrophic loss. This alone can mean the difference for a producer between business as usual and their worst nightmare.
Because some emergencies are inevitable, CSHB is leading the creation of a federal government supported emergency response capability, which will come to the aid of producers, in the event of a catastrophic event. This can dramatically minimize shutdowns.
It is widely recognized that animal health is of increasing importance for trade, and we must address issues that threaten our trade-dependent Canadian pork industry.
In 2010, CPC officially incorporated Swine Innovation Porc to facilitate research, technology transfer and commercialization initiatives to enhance the competitiveness and differentiation of the pork industry. Innovation and research are crucial in maintaining the competitiveness of the industry. The important research offers ways to reduce the cost of production and enables the industry to stand out. The fundamental commitment is to ensure that research results are transferred to producers, in the form of cost effective on-farm solutions.
I will yield the floor to Mr. Bergmann who will continue the presentation.