The meeting, which took place earlier this week in Niagara Falls, saw representatives from the Canadian Pork Council (CPC), the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the Mexican pork producer organisation, Confederación de Porcicultores Mexicanos, discuss, among other issues, the safety of the food supply chain.
CPC chair Jean-Guy Vincent said: “It is quite clear to me from our discussions that pork farmers from all across North America share the same abiding commitment to providing consumers a nutritious, safe and affordable food supply. Pork producers will continue to adapt to consumer demands, but this must occur in partnership with the entire value chain and government.”
He explained that, to survive the “fiercely competitive international pork market” hog farmers had to be able to cover their costs of production. He also said recent announcements about purchasing and sourcing requirements, made by a variety of companies working within the North American supply chain, had been done so without first discussing the impact they could have on the industry.
Meanwhile, the organisations also discussed other topics of interest, including the potential for Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations to help further export opportunities for the respective countries’ pork businesses.
A desire for the US to be compliant with the World Trade Organization’s recent rulings on country-of-origin labelling (COOL) was also on the agenda. Plus, the need for a science-based food safety and animal health regulation was also brought to the discussion.
The next meeting between the organisations will take place in the autumn this year and is to be hosted by the NPPC.