A local farmer has asked for provincial and federal intervention, in what he calls a major problem in pork exports to China.
Ed Embury runs Harvest Hill Pork in Newburgh His farm sends about 6,000 animals to food production facilities every five months. About 10% of his animals will be exported to China, the world’s largest consumer of pork. In total, one fifth of all Canadian exported pork goes to China.
The Newburgh farmer tells Quinte News since COVID-19 began, China has clamped down on the food it imports. He says that if the virus is detected in any employee at a food production facility in Canada, the food will not be allowed in China.
Embury says in his research, he has not found one single case of COVID-19 being transmitted through food production.
He says these restrictions have caused major uncertainty in farming. Embury says the price per hog has fallen about $60, the pigs have no where to go, causing them to get fat, and the contracts through the food chain are not being signed because of the massive backlog in that chain.
He has reached out to Bay of Quinte MP Neil Ellis, Hastings Lennox and Addington MP Derek Sloan, the Premier’s Office, and officials in the agriculture ministry, and federal opposition. “Someone needs to grow a spine and stand up to China” Embury added.
BELOW IS EMBURY’S FULL LETTER TO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
Harvest Hill Pork grows about 15,000 pigs annually, at their farms between Odessa and Napanee (Photo: submitted to Quinte News)
CHINA’S COVID-19 PROTOCOL and CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ISSUES
Causing colossal fears to Canada’s Pork Industry
Nothing is fair about China’s COVID-19 protocol on Canadian pork exports. It is a double standard. They give us the China Wuhan Coronavirus and then put a devastating fictional protocol on our pork exports. It’s not science based.
We have seen firsthand how Canadian people, businesses and communities have been affected causing undo financial hardships and negative health impacts affecting the fabric of Canadian life.
It has now come to Canadian pork producer’s attention that this Chinese protocol is causing serious financial implications to pork producers and meat processing facilities.
China protocol – requires any plant reporting a COVID-19 positive case suspend exports to China temporarily.
This China protocol is not science based as proven by the following authorities:
1 – Government of Canada – coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and food safety guidelines. “There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 being spread through food or food packaging”.
2 – Centre for Disease Control – “Although some people who work in food production and processing facilities have gotten COVID-19, there is no evidence of the virus spreading to consumers through the food or packaging those workers in these facilities may have handled”.
3 – ICMSF –International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food – “To date, there has not been any evidence that food, food packaging or food handling is a source or important food transmission route for SARS-CoV-2 resulting in COVID-19”.
These three authorities should be all that Canadian and Provincial Governments need to send a strong communication to China to stop restricting Canada’s pork with this irrational behavior. Also, no other country in the world to the best of our knowledge has imposed this kind of protocol.
If China can prove otherwise, we the Canadian hog producers and industry business require that they provide the evidence immediately. Otherwise they should be held responsible for all financial losses that have transpired to the Canadian hog industry from their actions by way of the transmission of COVID-19 and this protocol.
According to the Canadian Pork Council – “pork producers across the country now expect to lose CAD $30 to $50 for every hog they sell in 2020.This will cost pork famers $675 million dollars in losses.”
Over the past weeks there has been a current price uptick which Canadian pork producers needed desperately to keep current with mounting financial burdens. The seriousness of the situation currently is that hog processing facilities are back in the same dilemma that they were in early stages of COVID-19 outbreaks in these processing facilities.
This is causing undo stress that neither the producer nor the processor needs for the following reasons at this time.
1 – A backlog of hogs to processing facilities (current numbers unofficial 82,000) for Ontario and Quebec producers. These hogs are backing up on farms becoming increasingly over weight and triggering capacity of building concerns and refill requirements to make room for the next batch in the process.
2 – Animal welfare issues – operations may not have the capacity to hold animals beyond the set timeframe. Animals become increasingly hard to move because of weight increases.
3 – Cash flow restrictions – when the system struggles to move hogs to market in a timely manner producers continue to pay bills, feed animals and sustain their business. This places an increased burden on families and business involved in the industry.
4 – The processor is discouraged by increased costs of China COVID-19 restrictions and continually seeking markets for their pork products when a processors plant breaks with a case of COVID-19.This also causes the hogs to be rerouted to other plants thousands of miles away putting more stress on the animals.
Question: Why did we not learn from our first COVID -19 encounters this year?
It appears indisputable that the Government of Canada did not either provide industry safeguards or facilitate measures under their control to safeguard the pork industry. This can be illustrated by the following news article.
The Toronto Star Oct 22, 2020 – “The union , which represents 1050 workers at the plant (Valle – Jonction, Olymel) said in a statement Wednesday evening that sanitary measures put in place during the first wave of the pandemic had been relaxed over the summer”. Question – why has the Government allowed this to transpire fully knowing that a second wave would happen forecasted by them?
During a press conference on the issue the Canadian Pork Council stated – “That the coronavirus has pushed the pork sector into freefall by disrupting supply chains and driving down prices and warned that the market devastation caused by the disease will only increase as the pandemic drags on.”
“The Canadian Pork Council has been working with government officials to impress upon them the seriousness and urgency of the situation and demand swift action”. Per Rick Bergmann, President Canadian Pork Council.
The Canadian Government failed to recognize the importance of the above statements. Because of their lack of leadership we are now seeing more volatility and instability in the Canadian hog market due to increased COVID-19 outbreaks and allowing China to place a non-science based fictional restriction protocol on Canadian pork products.
The pigsite.com published a news article stating –“China, the world’s top meat importer, has suspended imports from some foreign meat packing plants where workers became infected with coronavirus. However the import ban is being unevenly applied, raising concerns. In counties that have not notified Beijing of outbreaks, customs has at times halted imports from affected plants. Several plants have been suspended in Brazil but only one has been in the USA where more than 16,000 meatpacking workers in dozens of plants have been infected with coronavirus.”
This is certainly a double standard by China.
Seems like China is picking who they want to do business with.
In the second quarter of 2019 China imposed a ban on all Canadian pork exports to China because of a trade dispute. This drop corresponded with a 14.3% drop in average Canadian Pork producer prices between August and October 2019. In November 2019 China announced it would accept Canadian pork exports again. Between November 2019 and January 2020 pork exports to China rose 730.3% with prices rising by 11.3% to the producer. But prices fell again in February of 2020 because of COVID-19 spread to the world from China.
This roller coaster of pork prices and related China behavior has cost the industry profoundly. With an unstable industry, pork farmers and processors have been unable to develop long term planning to continue their operations in a healthy, productive, and economical manner.
There is no doubt that China is a key part of Canada’s pork export market, and Canadian farmers would encourage continued growth from their market.
However, as you can see volatile controls by China continue to place unhealthy conditions on our industry.
In May of 2020 the Canadian Pork Council and pork farmers across Canada impressed on the Canadian Government to make funding available to pork farmers.
Rick Bergmann stated, “We are asking the government for an emergency payment of $20/hog so that pork producers can continue to pay bills, feed pigs and keep producing food for Canadian families, without it family farms will be lost.”
According to Agriculture Minster Marie-Claude Bibeau, she stated.” the federal government has responded to the urgent needs of producers by making changes to Business Risk Management (BRM) program AgriStablity. On AgriRecovery the government has allotted the full $125 million to the program. The government also announced $50 million for a type of set-aside program, which has long been requested by the cattle industry. The program gives the producer a daily allowance to help cover the cost of feed while the livestock waits processing.”
THAT’S ALL HOG WASH! From the Agriculture Minister. READ BELOW
On the Agri-Food Canada web page under News Release June 17, 2020. It states, “The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $10 million in emergency assistance for beef and hog farmers. The funding will help cover the increased costs of feeding market ready cattle and hogs due to COVID-19 related processing delays. This program will ensure the country’s food supply chain will remain strong ready to recover as the economy gradually and safely reopens.” The Hog sector was allotted 5 million of these funds above.
Ag Minster Bibeau statements are misleading for the following reasons.
1- She states that $125 million will be allotted to the AgriStablity program. In checking with hog producers across Ontario and representatives of the industry no one has received any of these funds to date. The only funds that producers have received are through the RMP program (Ontario Risk Management Program) which provides financial assistance when markets commodity prices fall below support levels. Producers were already enrolled in this program before COVID-19. Producers say they have received just over $4.00 per/hog from RMP program.
2- She states that $50 million will be allotted for a type of set –aside program. The June 17, 2020 news release above shows that only 5 million was given for covering feed costs while animals wait processing. In checking with hog producers across Ontario they have not received any funding for the extra costs of keeping animals because of processing delays.
Therefore, as you can see Canadian hog producers have been misled and we demand that the Canadian Government clarify their actions and be accountable.
ACTIONS REQUIRED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND PROVINCES MOVING FORWARD FOR THE CANADIAN HOG INDUSTRY
1- Require that the Government of China withdraw their COVID -19 Protocol on pork exports to China immediately.
2 – Place sufficient Canadian Food Inspectors at hog processing plants to monitor and keep in check COVID-19 policy. And allot any further assistance and funds as need be to ensure that hog supply chains remain strong to protect the industry.
3- The Canadian Pork Council asked for $20 per hog. These funds should still be on the table for hog producers to receive. This is not out of line given that the Government of Canada gave millions to the dairy producers and other sectors. We require that you make good on the commitment of funds allotted by Ag Minister Bibeau provided in this letter. And because of the new crisis unfolding with processing delays and any further complications, allot additional funding that will cover all cost of hogs waiting to be processed.
We the Canadian hog producers wish to express the urgency of these matters in this letter. Food security is of vital importance to the Canadian people and the hog Industry. We need swift action and support to continue providing food to our country and the world. Let us not be disappointed.
A concerned hog producer
Edward Embury
